What colleges can you get into with a 1300 SAT?

A 1300 SAT is a strong score, above the admitted middle at the large majority of U.S. colleges. It sits about 150 points above 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 1300 SAT is a strong match at Seton Hall University, a likely safety at SUNY Plattsburgh, still a reach at Thomas Aquinas College.

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Realistic options
945
safety + target schools
Safety
816
score clears the middle
Target / match
129
right in the range
Reach
149
aim high, hedge your list

Safety schools

816 schools where a 1300 SAT your score clears the admitted middle, so academics are unlikely to be what holds you back.

University of Texas at El Paso
100%acceptance · TX
American International College
100%acceptance · MA
Delta State University
100%acceptance · MS
King University
100%acceptance · TN
Loras College
100%acceptance · IA
Northeastern State University
100%acceptance · OK
Southern New Hampshire University
100%acceptance · NH
Southern Wesleyan University
100%acceptance · SC
Western Colorado University
100%acceptance · CO
Liberty University
99%acceptance · VA
Oral Roberts University
99%acceptance · OK
Southeastern Louisiana University
99%acceptance · LA
University of South Dakota
99%acceptance · SD
University of Southern Mississippi
99%acceptance · MS
Utah Valley University
99%acceptance · UT
Adams State University
99%acceptance · CO
Central State University
99%acceptance · OH
Columbus State University
99%acceptance · GA
Browse 798 more safety schools in the full directory →

Target / Match schools

129 schools where a 1300 SAT your score sits right in the competitive admitted range.

Florida A&M University
21%acceptance · FL
Crown College
23%acceptance · MN
Trinity University (TX)
26%acceptance · TX
Mississippi College
29%acceptance · MS
Fairfield University
33%acceptance · CT
Hope International University
33%acceptance · CA
Southern University
35%acceptance · LA
Brescia University
35%acceptance · KY
San Diego State University
36%acceptance · CA
Gettysburg College
39%acceptance · PA
Illinois Wesleyan University
39%acceptance · IL
University of Central Florida
40%acceptance · FL
University of Tampa
40%acceptance · FL
Howard University
41%acceptance · DC
University of Tennessee
42%acceptance · TN
University of South Florida
43%acceptance · FL
Auburn University
46%acceptance · AL
Cal State Long Beach
46%acceptance · CA
Browse 111 more target / match schools in the full directory →

Reach schools

88 schools where a 1300 SAT your score is below the admitted middle, so the rest of your profile has to carry more weight.

U.S. Military Academy
12%acceptance · NY
College of the Ozarks
12%acceptance · MO
Colgate University
14%acceptance · NY
U.S. Air Force Academy
14%acceptance · CO
Babson College
17%acceptance · MA
Denison University
17%acceptance · OH
College of the Holy Cross
18%acceptance · MA
Colorado College
18%acceptance · CO
Berea College
19%acceptance · KY
Hillsdale College
21%acceptance · MI
Skidmore College
21%acceptance · NY
Smith College
21%acceptance · MA
University of Richmond
22%acceptance · VA
Florida State University
24%acceptance · FL
University of Florida
24%acceptance · FL
Lehigh University
26%acceptance · PA
University of Texas at Austin
27%acceptance · TX
Villanova University
27%acceptance · PA
Browse 70 more reach schools in the full directory →

High reach schools

61 schools where a 1300 SAT admission is a long shot on scores alone; these stay reaches for almost everyone.

California Institute of Technology
3%acceptance · CA
Columbia University
4%acceptance · NY
Harvard University
4%acceptance · MA
Stanford University
4%acceptance · CA
Yale University
4%acceptance · CT
University of Chicago
4%acceptance · IL
Brown University
5%acceptance · RI
Dartmouth College
5%acceptance · NH
Northeastern University
5%acceptance · MA
Princeton University
5%acceptance · NJ
University of Pennsylvania
5%acceptance · PA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5%acceptance · MA
Duke University
6%acceptance · NC
Vanderbilt University
6%acceptance · TN
Johns Hopkins University
6%acceptance · MD
Bowdoin College
7%acceptance · ME
Colby College
7%acceptance · ME
Pomona College
7%acceptance · CA
Browse 43 more high reach schools in the full directory →

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 1300 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 1300 SAT a good score?

A 1300 is a strong score: it sits about 150 points above the median admitted 75th-percentile SAT (about 1150) across the 1,100+ colleges we track. It is competitive at a wide band of four-year colleges.

What colleges can I get into with a 1300 SAT?

Across our database, a 1300 is a safety-level score at 816 schools and a target/match at 129 more, for 945 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 1300 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 1300 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.

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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.