<p>The answer is more complicated than SATs in a vacuum. You have to consider all of the factors that might result in an acceptance. The higher the SATs relative to the school, the less you will need in terms of a hook, legacy, top class rank, etc.</p>
<p>For an unhooked white applicant, I think that you need 75th percentile SATs at an uber-selective school for a match. At a school with 50% acceptance rate, probably 50th percentile SATs or above.</p>
<p>You have to figure that the bottom range of SAT score acceptances will go to "hooked" applicants -- something that offsets lower SATS -- race, socio-economic, athletics, outstanding ECs, top class rank, legacies, full-pay, Early Decision, and so an and so forth.</p>
<p>Having said that, you have to consider how the school is getting their SAT scores. For example, if they are giving merit aid discounts to 25% of the class, figure that their top quarter of SATs are being purchased and don't reflect the underlying scores of the applicant group. Likewise, you have to consider how much the school is driven by tuition revenue demands and how much a full-pay student might be favored over a financial aid student. Many factors to consider that require learning a bit about the particular school to really judge.</p>