How good is a 1470 on the SAT?

A 1470 is in the 96th percentile: it beats about 96 of every 100 SAT takers. Among the 400 most-applied-to colleges that report SAT ranges, it's at or above the 75th percentile at 329 of them, inside the middle 50% at 62 and just below the 25th percentile at 9.

Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 26, 2026 · 5 min read
Percentile
96th
Beats about 96 of 100 test takers
In or above range
391 of 400
Most-applied-to colleges that report SAT ranges
Typical split
740 + 730
Reading and Writing + Math
01

What a 1470 Means

96th–97th percentile: competitive at most selective colleges.

A 1470 is in the 96th percentile. It's at or above the middle 50% range at most selective colleges and flagship universities.

At the most selective colleges, where the middle 50% often starts near 1500, a 1470 can sit below the range. There it's a reach score that the rest of the application has to support.

For scale: a 1420 is the 94th percentile and a 1520 is the 98th. Check your own estimate with the SAT score calculator, or any score's rank with the SAT percentile calculator.

02

Colleges Where a 1470 Is Competitive

The middle 50% is the range between the 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores of a college's first-year students. Above the 75th percentile, your score is a strength; inside the range, it's typical; below the 25th, it's a reach that the rest of the application has to make up for.

At or above the 75th percentile: the colleges with the highest ranges where a 1470 is still a strength (329 in all).
CollegeMiddle 50%Admit
University of Florida1300–147030%
University of Washington1200–147053%
Rutgers University–New Brunswick1240–147068%
Binghamton University- SUNY1310–147044%
University of Pittsburgh1250–147067%
Colorado School of Mines1310–147057%
University of Massachusetts Amherst1250–146066%
University of Miami1300–146028%
Inside the middle 50%: the most-applied-to of the 62 colleges where a 1470 is typical.
CollegeMiddle 50%Admit
New York University1450–157013%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor1340–152020%
Boston University1360–152019%
Northeastern University1430–155018%
University of Southern California1410–154013%
Cornell University1450–15609%
University of Texas - Austin1230–150029%
Columbia University1470–15704%
Within reach: colleges whose 25th percentile is up to 70 points above 1470 (9 in all).
CollegeMiddle 50%Admit
Harvard University1480–15804%
University of Pennsylvania1480–15706%
Yale University1480–15805%
Vanderbilt University1480–15707%
Carnegie Mellon University1480–156014%
Washington University in St. Louis1490–157013%
Rice University1490–15709%
University of Chicago1510–15806%

Ranges are each college's most recently reported middle 50% for students who submitted scores, from our college database. University of California and Cal State campuses are left out because they don't consider SAT scores. Look up any college with the college SAT lookup.

03

Section Scores That Add Up to 1470

The SAT reports Reading and Writing and Math separately, 200–800 each. Colleges see both, so the same 1470 can read differently for an engineering program than for an English major.

ProfileReading and WritingMath
Even split740730
Reading and Writing–leaning790680
Math-leaning690780
04

Should You Retake a 1470?

Worth considering if your list includes the most selective colleges. Moving into the 1500s puts you inside their range; for most other colleges a 1470 already does the job.

Retake if:

  • Your list includes colleges where 1470 is below the 25th percentile.
  • Your practice tests have reached 1500 or above.
  • A merit scholarship you want has a cutoff just above 1470.

Keep your 1470 if:

  • Your list is mostly colleges where 1470 is at or above the middle 50%.
  • You've already taken the SAT two or three times.
  • Essays, courses or activities need the time more.
Scholarships: A 1470 often lands in the upper tiers of published merit-scholarship grids at public universities. Check each college's grid, since cutoffs differ.
05

Frequently Asked Questions

A 1470 is in the 96th percentile, so it beats about 96 of every 100 SAT takers. A 1520 is the 98th percentile.

A 1470 is at or above the 25th percentile at 5 of the 8 Ivy League schools in our data, and at or above the middle of the range at 0. Ivy League admissions read the whole application, so a score in range keeps you in consideration without deciding the outcome.

Worth considering if your list includes the most selective colleges. Moving into the 1500s puts you inside their range; for most other colleges a 1470 already does the job.

A 1470 often lands in the upper tiers of published merit-scholarship grids at public universities. Check each college's grid, since cutoffs differ.

740 Reading and Writing + 730 Math; 790 Reading and Writing + 680 Math; 690 Reading and Writing + 780 Math. Colleges see both section scores, so a balanced profile and a lopsided one read differently for programs that care about one section.

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Percentiles come from the same SAT percentile table as our percentile calculator. SAT® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this page.