Is 1490 a good SAT score?

If you got a 1490 SAT score, you're probably wondering how you compare to other students, and whether a 1490 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.

1490 SAT Score Standings

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

  • score-percent Percentile: 98th

    Out of the 2.13 million test-takers, 25590 scored the same or higher than you.

  • score-compete Competitive For: 1467 Schools

    You can apply to 1467 colleges and have a good shot at getting admitted.

  • score-missing Missing Out On: 22 Schools

    You have a very low chance of getting into 22 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 1490 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 110 points? You would:
  • be competitive for 22 more schools in the country
  • raise your chances of getting into target schools from 77.58% to 78.74%
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Other Schools For You

What schools can you get into with an SAT score of 1490?

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 1490. But if you improve your SAT score, you'll have a much better shot.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 1530 35
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 1510 34
Rice University Houston, TX 1505 34
Stanford University Stanford, CA 1505 34

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

These schools have average SAT scores that are close to a 1490. If you apply to these schools, you'll have a decent chance of admission. If you improve your SAT score by 110 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 1500 34
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 1500 34
Brown University Providence, RI 1493 34
Cornell University Ithaca, NY 1480 34
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 1435 33
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 1435 33
Boston University Boston, MA 1418 32

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

With a 1490 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
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 1396 31
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 1393 30
Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 1375 31
University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 1355 29


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.

Get eBook: 5 Tips for 160+ Points


Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2023 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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