Is 1540 a good SAT score?

If you got a 1540 SAT score, you're probably wondering how you compare to other students, and whether a 1540 is good enough to get into college.

The truth is, it depends on your personal college goals and where you want to apply. We have the complete guide for you here. On this page, you'll find statistics about your score and what colleges you're competitive for. You can also use our Chance Estimator tool to figure out your chances of getting into your target schools.

1540 SAT Score Standings

Here's how you compare to other students and how many colleges you are competitive for:

  • score-percent Percentile: 99th

    Out of the 2.13 million test-takers, 10190 scored the same or higher than you.

  • score-compete Competitive For: 1492 Schools

    You can apply to 1492 colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted.

  • score-missing Missing Out On: 5 Schools

    You have a very low chance of getting into 5 schools with this score.

Top Choice Colleges Chances

Can you get into your top choice colleges?

We've collected data from millions of students and thousands of colleges to figure out your chances at getting admitted with a 1540 SAT score. You'll also see how your chances improve with a higher SAT score.

To add a school to your list, type in part of the school name, choose from the dropdown, and click the button.


What if you improved your SAT score by 60 points? You would:
  • be competitive for 5 more schools in the country
  • raise your chances of getting into target schools from 78.90% to 79.16%
Are you ready to get serious about your SAT prep and improve your score by 160 points?

PrepScholar guarantees that with our online prep program, you'll improve your score by 160 points, or you get all your money back.

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Other Schools For You

What schools can you get into with an SAT score of 1540?

We've picked out a set of schools that are within range. Click on each school to learn more about it.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are hard for you to get into now, because they have average SAT scores that are higher than a 1540. But if you improve your SAT score, you'll have a much better shot.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 1540 35
Yale University New Haven, CT 1540 34
University of Chicago Chicago, IL 1540 35

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

These schools have average SAT scores that are close to a 1540. If you apply to these schools, you'll have a decent chance of admission. If you improve your SAT score by 60 points, you'll significantly improve your chances and get almost guaranteed admission for most schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 1540 35
Brown University Providence, RI 1540 35
Columbia University New York, NY 1524 35
Tufts University Medford, MA 1500 34
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 1500 34
Northeastern University Boston, MA 1500 34
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 1485 34

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

With a 1540 SAT score, you're already strongly competitive for these schools. You're very likely to get admitted if you apply. If you improve your SAT score, your Safety Schools will get better and better.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Emory University Atlanta, GA 1484 33
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 1470 33
University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 1415 31


See a Different SAT Score

Curious about what your profile is with a different score? Choose any score from the entire SAT score range to see what you'd be able to do!


Exclusive: Want to learn how to improve your SAT score by 160 points? image description

Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.



Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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