What colleges can you get into with a 1040 SAT?
A 1040 SAT is a below-median score, below the admitted middle at most four-year colleges, though plenty of schools remain well within reach. It sits about 110 points below the median admitted 75th-percentile SAT (about 1150) across the 1,100+ colleges we track. Below, every school is sorted into safety, target, and reach using real admitted-student data, so you can build a balanced list. For your actual odds, the free calculator folds in your GPA, course rigor, and activities too.
For example, a 1040 SAT is a strong match at McNeese State University, a likely safety at Stillman College, still a reach at Western Colorado University.
Safety schools
9 schools where a 1040 SAT your score clears the admitted middle, so academics are unlikely to be what holds you back.
Target / Match schools
87 schools where a 1040 SAT your score sits right in the competitive admitted range.
Reach schools
569 schools where a 1040 SAT your score is below the admitted middle, so the rest of your profile has to carry more weight.
High reach schools
429 schools where a 1040 SAT admission is a long shot on scores alone; these stay reaches for almost everyone.
What safety, target, and reach mean here
How to read these tiers.
Tiers are anchored on each school's admitted 75th-percentile SAT and adjusted for selectivity. A safety means a 1040 comfortably clears the admitted middle; a target means it lands right in the competitive range; a reach means it is below the middle, so the rest of your application has to carry more weight. The most selective schools stay reaches at every score, because no single number decides a holistic review. These are planning bands, not probabilities. The percentage chance is computed, per school, by our transparent model in the calculator, with the full method published on the methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 1040 SAT a good score?
A 1040 is a below-median score: it sits about 110 points below the median admitted 75th-percentile SAT (about 1150) across the 1,100+ colleges we track. It is best matched to schools with higher acceptance rates, and is very raisable with focused practice.
What colleges can I get into with a 1040 SAT?
Across our database, a 1040 is a safety-level score at 9 schools and a target/match at 87 more, for 96 realistic options. The tiered lists on this page name them, and the calculator estimates your specific odds once your GPA, rigor, and activities are included.
Is a 1040 SAT enough for the Ivy League or top-20 schools?
The most selective schools admit students with SATs roughly in the 1500-1580 range, so a 1040 would be below their admitted middle. They stay reaches, but a strong GPA, rigor, and a distinctive profile still matter more than the test alone.
How much does the SAT matter compared with GPA?
At most schools, GPA and course rigor carry more weight than a single test score, and many schools are test-optional. CollegeCalcAI's model weights each factor using each school's reported Common Data Set, so the SAT's importance changes school by school. See the GPA lookup for the grades side of the picture.
More SAT scores
Jump to another SAT score.
Explore the data behind these lists: the 100 hardest colleges, every sub-10% school, acceptance rates by state, or all school-data collections.
Admitted SAT ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets) and are rounded. Safety, target, and reach are planning bands, not guarantees. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are computed by a fixed, transparent model and are a planning tool, not a prediction of any admission decision.