Students who took the SAT Scores on October 3 are due to see their scores today. The College Board lists October 16 as the release date for that test, with November 20 for the November 7 test and December 18 for the December 5 test.
The release comes at a busy point in the college application season. Many seniors are working toward early deadlines, and many juniors are deciding whether to test again. Here is what the numbers mean.
How the SAT is scored
The digital SAT uses the same scale as the old paper test: 400 to 1600. The total is the sum of two section scores. One is Reading and Writing and the other is Math, and each runs from 200 to 800.
The test is now almost entirely digital. The College Board reports that 97% of students in the class of 2025 took the digital version, and 68% took it during the school day.
What is the average score?
For the class of 2025, the average was 521 in Reading and Writing and 508 in Math. That adds up to a national average of 1,029.
The figure is a small rise from 1,024 for the class of 2024, but it is about 30 points lower than before the pandemic. The College Board says participation passed 2 million students for the first time since 2020.
A rise in participation can lower an average. Where a state tests every student during the school day, the average tends to fall, because many of those students would not otherwise have taken the test. Where only a small share of graduates take it, the average tends to be higher. For that reason, state averages are best read together with the share of students who took the test.
College readiness
The College Board also tracks how many students reach its readiness benchmarks. In the class of 2025, 39% met or exceeded both the Reading and Writing and the Math benchmarks, compared with 45% in the class of 2019. The benchmarks are 480 in Reading and Writing and 530 in Math. They are meant to show a student’s chance of success in college courses that count for credit, not to set admission cutoffs.
What is a good score?
There is no single answer, because a good score depends on the schools a student is aiming for. National percentiles give a rough guide. Among recent test takers, a 1200 is at the 75th percentile, a 1400 is at the 93rd, and a 1500 is at the 97th.
A student aiming for a large public university may be well served by a score near or above the average. A student aiming for a highly selective school will usually need a score much closer to the top. The most reliable method is to look up the score ranges that each school publishes and compare.
Harvard’s SAT scores
Harvard is often the first school students ask about. It says it sets no cutoff. According to its admissions FAQ, as quoted by an admissions site, “There is no minimum required SAT or ACT score for Harvard College admission.”
Even so, admitted students score high. The middle half of admitted students scored roughly between 1500 and 1580. Some sources give a slightly different range, such as 1510 to 1580, depending on the class year and how the data are counted. One consulting firm puts the average among admitted students at around 1540.
The middle range means that a quarter of admitted students scored below the bottom figure and a quarter scored above the top. Harvard’s own figures, as summarized by an education firm, show that 95% of enrolled students scored between 700 and 800 in Reading and Writing, and 98% scored in that range in Math.
Harvard’s testing policy has also changed. The school reinstated its SAT or ACT requirement beginning with the class of 2029, ending a test-optional period that began during the pandemic. Applicants for fall 2027 entry are required to submit either test. Students who plan to apply should check the school’s website for the current rules, since policies at selective colleges have changed several times in recent years.
When do SAT scores come out?
For weekend tests, the usual wait is about two weeks. Scores typically come out 13 days after the test, on the second Friday after a Saturday exam, although the College Board’s official window is two to four weeks.
The August 22, 2026 scores came out on September 4. The next release dates this fall are November 20 and December 18, as listed above. For the 2026-27 year, the College Board lists further releases on March 19, May 14 and June 21, 2027.
Students who test in school on a School Day schedule may wait a bit longer, and summer tests can take longer still. Delays can also occur. Scores can be held up by technical problems, security reviews or irregularities at a test center.
What time do SAT scores come out?
The College Board promises a date, not an hour. It has said that scores are released in waves on the release day and that some appear “as early as 6 a.m.” The same statement says that all scores are generally available by 8 p.m. It does not name a time zone.
Some test-prep sites say the first large group of scores appears around 8 a.m. Eastern time, but that is an observation, not an official promise. For School Day tests, scores are generally available starting around 6 p.m. Students who do not see a score in the morning should check again later in the day before contacting the College Board.
Sending scores to colleges
Seeing a score is only the first step. If a student named a school to receive one of the four free score reports, the school should receive the score within about 10 days of its release. Students with a deadline close at hand should count those extra days.
What students should keep in mind
A single score is one part of an application. Colleges also look at grades, courses, essays and activities, and many students retake the test to try to improve. Because the average is based on more than 2 million students, a score at or above it puts a student ahead of about half of test takers, but selective schools draw from the high end of the range.
Read also: Studying Abroad in 2026: Where Indian Students Are Actually Going, and Why
Disclaimer: It is for general information only and is not admissions advice. Readers should confirm current details with the College Board and with each college’s admissions office.
