We looked at the common data sets 25%-75%ile ranges for SAT/ACT scores to help assess competitiveness for admission and receiving merit aid (if available). It was also helpful to look at the chart where the college summarizes the importance of test scores, recommendations, etc.
as an example- here is a link to the University of Chicago’s common data set information.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=u+of+chicago&s=all&id=144050
For ANY college that you want common data set information for- go to College Navigator and type in the name of the college
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=all
The SAT 25th and 75th percentiles are most important in determining reach, match, safety assuming college offers the desired major.
@collegehelp How do you define each based on the data? 25% - reach; 75% - match; above 75% - safety?
SAT ranges can tell you the difference between “reach” and “impossible” – but can’t be used to determine match or safety – because (a) colleges consider many factors other than SAT scores for admissions, and (b) selective colleges routinely reject many applicants with high test scores.
But if scores are below the 25% level, then it is fair to assume that the college would be a reach.
The problem is that if college accepts less than 15% of applicants, the 75% score level is probably also a reach for most applicants.
@tk21769 Re: Stanford’s 4-year graduation rate…with Stanford you have to keep in mind that it is not uncommon for students there to be snapped up by start ups so they don’t always finish (or they may go back after a stint in industry)