Northwestern University SAT & ACT Scores

Northwestern went test-optional for the 2020–21 admission cycle and has kept the policy since, with no announced end date. It applies to first-year and transfer applicants for full-time study. The application asks whether you want SAT or ACT scores considered; if you answer no, you can still send optional results such as AP or IB scores. If you start without scores, you can switch through your applicant portal to add them by a set date after each deadline. Northwestern allows score choice and accepts self-reported scores, and students who enroll after being admitted with scores must send official reports that match. Two selective programs, the Integrated Science Program and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, have their own application requirements.

The median SAT among enrolled Northwestern first-years who submitted scores in the fall 2025 entering class was 1540. A quarter scored 1520 or below, and a quarter scored 1560 or above. The middle half scored 740–770 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 770–790 on Math.

Because Northwestern is test-optional, these ranges describe only enrolled students who chose to have scores considered. In the fall 2025 entering class, 48% of enrolled students submitted the SAT and 25% submitted the ACT. Students admitted without scores are not part of these figures.

Northwestern superscores the SAT, so report your highest section scores across test dates. It says that if you have scores you feel reflect your academic potential, it welcomes them, and if you do not, there is no need to report them. A superscore at or above 1540 matches the middle of enrolled students who sent the SAT, while one below 1520 would fall in the bottom quarter of that group.

Enrolled Northwestern first-years who submitted the ACT had a median composite of 35, and the middle half scored 34–35. The middle half scored 35–36 in English and 33–35 in Math. In the fall 2025 entering class, 25% of enrolled students submitted an ACT score.

If you send ACT scores from more than one date, Northwestern asks you to self-report your highest section scores and your highest composite from a single test date, along with your official ACT superscore from your MyACT account. The science section is not required, and a composite cannot mix sections from tests taken with and without science. A composite of 35 matches the top quarter of enrolled students who sent the ACT.

Northwestern offers binding Early Decision and Regular Decision. It does not offer Early Action.

If you choose to send scores to Northwestern, a practical target is an SAT of 1560 or higher, or an ACT of 35 or higher. Scores near the median of 1540 SAT or 35 ACT are typical for enrolled students who submitted. If your scores are below 1520 on the SAT or 34 on the ACT, the test-optional policy lets you apply without them.

With or without scores, Northwestern reviews grades, course rigor, recommendations, academic honors or awards, writing supplements, and other information, read in the context of your high school, household, and community. Spend your time on those parts first. If you apply to the Integrated Science Program or Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, check those programs' own requirements.