How to Superscore ACT Scores

While many schools take superscored ACT scores, it’s important to understand how the system works so that you can know what ACT score will be used in your college admissions. We’re going to show you how to superscore the ACT so that you can be sure of how you did on the test, sell off your used prep books, and move on with your life!

What is an ACT Superscore?

The ACT superscore is the aggregate of the top scores you received on each section of the ACT over the ACT tests you have taken to date. In case you’re new to the ACT, remember there are 4 sections, English, Math, Reading, and Science. Each of these sections is scored on a scale between 1-36 and each section added together and then averaged, which equals your composite score, which also falls between the range of 1-36.

What about the Optional Essay?

The essay is scored on a range of 2-12 and does not go into the averaged composite score or the superscored ACT. Understanding how to superscore ACT scores does not require any knowledge about the essay grading. Although the essay score does not go into your superscored ACT score, the quality is important and may be looked at by admissions officers. So be sure that you spend the time preparing for this optional portion of the ACT.

So.. How Do You Superscore ACT Scores?

If you’re wondering how to superscore ACT scores, it’s actually super easy and does not require much calculation besides basic addition and division. To superscore ACT scores, add your best section scores for the English, Math, Reading, and Science and then average these scores. Hopefully, now your superscore is higher than if you had just chosen the composite score of a single ACT test.

Let’s look at an example:

John took the ACT 3 times and here are his ACT scores by section:

[table id=15 /]

You can see by this graph, that his composite scores on each of his ACTs were all 30. But now that we take the highest individual scores among these 3 ACT tests:

32 for Math;

34 for Reading;

35 for Science;

35 for English

The superscoring would look like this equation:

(32+34+35+35) / 4 = 34

This is a pretty cool concept, that your superscored ACT score can be significantly higher than the composite score of all ACTs taken. If John applies to a school that superscores, his score in admissions would show 34. If the school that John applies to does not superscore the ACT, then his score would be 30.

Related: What to Do After High School [12 Ideas Besides College]

Do You Round the ACT Superscore?

Yes, the ACT superscore is rounded to the nearest whole number. If, for example, John’s composite score was 30.5, then this would round up to an ACT superscore of 31. This is simply the rule of rounding numbers to the nearest whole number. The same method applies if John’s composite score was 30.25. This would round down to an ACT score of 30.

What Schools Superscore the ACT?

Now that you know how to superscore the ACT, you’re probably wondering which schools accept the superscored ACT. Of course, finding a college that fits you is a huge factor as to whether you enjoy your four years at school, but also having a good understanding of what are going to be the most economic options is an important consideration as well. Here is a list of 150+ colleges and universities that currently superscore the ACT:

1. Albion College
2. Albright College
3. Alfred University
4. Allegheny College
5. Amherst College
6. Babson College
7. Ball State University
8. Bard College
9. Baylor University
10. Bates College
11. Beloit College
12. Bentley College
13. Boston College
14. Boston University
15. Brandeis University
16. Butler University
17. California Institute of Technology
18. California State University System (not UC system)
19. California Polytechnic (Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo)
20. Champlain College
21. Claremont-McKenna
22. Clark University
23. Colby College
24. Colgate University
25. Columbia University
26. Colombia College (MO)
27. Colorado College
28. Connecticut College
29. Cornell College
30. Denison University
31. DePauw University
32. Dickinson College
33. Drew University
34. Drexel University
35. Duke University
36. Duquesne University
37. Earlham College
38. Eastman College of Music
39. Embry-Riddle University
40. Eckerd College
41. Elon University
42. Emerson College
43. Florida Atlantic University
44. Florida State University
45. Franklin University (Switzerland)
46. Furman University
47. George Mason University
48. Georgia Tech
49. Gettysburg College
50. Gonzaga University
51. Goucher College
52. Grinell College
53. Hamilton College
54. Hampden-Sydney College
55. Hanover College
56. Harvey Mudd*
57. Haverford College
58. Hawaii Pacific University
59. Hendrix College
60. High Point University
61. Hiram College
62. Hollins University
63. College of Holy Cross
64. Illinois Institute of Technology
65. Indiana University-Bloomington
66. Ithaca College
67. Johns Hopkins University
68. Kalamazoo College
69. Kenyon College
70. Kettering University
71. Knox College
72. Lafayette College
73. Lawrence University
74. Loyola University in Maryland
75. Loyola University in New Orleans
76. Middlebury College
77. MIT*
78. Millsaps College
79. Montana State University
80. NCAA Clearinghouse
81. New York University
82. Northeastern University
83. North Carolina State University
84. Ohio-Wesleyan University
85. Olin College of Engineering
86. Pomona College
87. Providence College
88. Purdue University
89. Regis University
90. Rochester Institute of Technology
91. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
92. San Diego State
93. Seattle University
94. Seton Hall
95. Spring Hill College
96. Smith College
97. St. John’s College
98. St. Mary’s – Notre Dame and MN
99. Stanford University
100. Swarthmore College
101. Syracuse University
102. Texas Christian University
103. Towson University
104. Trinity College
105. Troy University
106. Tufts University
107. United States Naval Academy
108. University of Arkansas
109. University of Chicago
110. University of Cincinnati
111. University of Colorado – Boulder
112. University of Connecticut
113. University of Dayton
114. University of Delaware
115. University of Denver
116. University of Georgia
117. University of Illinois
118. University of Louisiana – Lafayette
119. University of Maryland
120. University of Mary Washington*
121. University of Massachusetts, Amherst
122. University of Miami
123. University of New Haven
124. University of New Mexico
125. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
126. University of North Texas
127. University of Portland
128. University of Pittsburgh
129. University of Puget Sound
130. University of Redlands
131. University of Rhode Island
132. University of Rochester
133. University of San Diego
134. University of San Francisco
135. University of South Florida
136. University of Tampa
137. University of Tennessee-Knoxville
138. University of Vermont
139. Valparaiso University
140. Vassar College
141. Virginia Commonwealth University
142. Virginia Tech
143. Wabash College
144. Wake Forest University
145. Washington and Jefferson College
146. Washington State University
147. Washington University-St. Louis
148. Wellesley College
149. Wesleyan University
150. Wheaton College
151. West Point Academy
152. Wheaton College
153. Williams College
154. Xavier University

Do ACT Superscores Count for Merit Scholarships?

There is no definitive list out there of which schools accept the ACT superscores for automatic merit scholarships upon admittance. This is worth checking with the school website or with an advisor (or ACT prep course administrator), as this could potentially be the difference between thousands of dollars in scholarship money each year depending on where your superscore lands you in the school’s merit-based scholarship award requirements.

If you are planning on attending college next year, check out some of the best ACT scholarships for college!