Hundreds of colleges and universities superscore the ACT, including most Ivy League schools, top-ranked research universities, and elite liberal arts colleges. A superscore takes your highest section scores from multiple test dates and averages them into a new composite, which can be higher than any single sitting. If you’re planning to take the ACT more than once, knowing which schools superscore can shape your testing strategy and potentially boost your admissions profile.
How ACT Superscoring Works
When a college superscores the ACT, it pulls your best English, Math, Reading, and Science scores from every test date you submit and calculates a new composite from those highs. For example, if you scored a 34 in English and 30 in Math in September, then a 31 in English and 33 in Math in December, a superscoring school would use the 34 English and 33 Math (along with your best Reading and Science) to build your composite. That recalculated average is the number they use in admissions decisions.
ACT’s own research shows that superscores predict college success better than a single highest composite, an average composite, or the most recent score. That finding is one reason the practice has become widespread.
Notable Schools That Superscore the ACT
As of spring 2025, the following well-known universities reported superscoring the ACT across all sittings. This is a representative sample, not every school that superscores. Always confirm a school’s current policy on its admissions website, since policies can shift from year to year.
Ivy League and Peer Institutions
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University (note: Cornell College in Iowa also superscores)
- Dartmouth College
- University of Pennsylvania
- Yale University
Harvard and Princeton do not publicly confirm the same superscoring practice in available reporting, so check their admissions pages directly if you’re applying.
Top Private Universities
- Stanford University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- California Institute of Technology
- University of Chicago
- Duke University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Northwestern University
- Rice University
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- University of Notre Dame
- Georgetown University
- Emory University
- Tufts University
- New York University
Top Public Universities
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- University of Florida
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of Georgia
- Virginia Tech
- William & Mary
- University of Pittsburgh
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick
- North Carolina State University
- Florida State University
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Oregon
- Clemson University
- California Polytechnic State University
- Colorado State University
Top Liberal Arts Colleges
- Williams College
- Amherst College
- Swarthmore College
- Pomona College
- Wellesley College
- Middlebury College
- Carleton College
- Colby College
- Colgate University
- Hamilton College
- Grinnell College
- Harvey Mudd College
- Vassar College
- Wesleyan University
- Oberlin College
- Washington and Lee University
Many other schools, including Boston College, Boston University, Fordham University, Lehigh University, Santa Clara University, Syracuse University, the University of Miami, the University of Rochester, Villanova University, and the U.S. Military Academy and Air Force Academy, also superscore the ACT.
Superscoring vs. Highest Composite
Not every school that considers multiple test dates superscores in the same way. Some colleges take your highest single-date composite rather than mixing section scores across dates. The distinction matters. If your best composite from one sitting is a 32 but your superscore across dates is a 34, a school that only looks at the highest single composite will see the 32.
When researching a school’s policy, look for language like “superscores across all sittings” or “considers highest section scores from multiple dates.” If the policy says “highest composite” or “best single sitting,” that school is not superscoring in the traditional sense.
How to Send Your Superscore
You need to send official ACT score reports from every test date that contains a section score you want included in your superscore. The college’s admissions office then pulls the highest sections and recalculates. You do not send a single “superscore report” that ACT has pre-built for you.
When you register for the ACT, your fee covers score reports to up to four colleges. After that, additional official score reports cost $20 each. If you tested three times and want a school to see all three dates, you’ll need to send three separate reports. Those fees can add up, so plan your score-sending list carefully.
Self-Reporting Scores During Application
Many colleges let you self-report your ACT scores on the Common App or through the school’s own portal during the application phase. Self-reporting means you enter your section scores manually without paying to send an official report right away. Schools that allow this include Amherst, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Caltech, Barnard, Brandeis, Bowdoin, Bucknell, and dozens more.
The catch: every college that accepts self-reported scores still requires an official ACT report once you enroll. So self-reporting saves you money during the application process (you avoid sending official reports to schools that reject you or that you decide not to attend), but you’ll pay for at least one official report to your final school. This is an application-phase convenience, not a permanent workaround.
Testing Strategy When Schools Superscore
If your target schools superscore, you can approach retakes more strategically. Instead of trying to raise every section on every attempt, you can focus your prep on your weakest areas. A student who aced English and Reading but struggled in Math might study exclusively for Math before a second sitting, knowing that the strong English and Reading scores from the first attempt will still count.
Keep in mind that many schools on the superscoring list are also test-optional, meaning you can choose whether to submit scores at all. If your superscore still falls below a school’s middle 50% range, you may benefit more from not submitting than from sending a lower score. Check each school’s admitted-student score ranges and weigh whether your superscore strengthens your application before sending reports.
Taking the ACT more than twice rarely produces significant gains for most students. Two or three well-prepared attempts typically capture your ceiling, and the time spent on a fourth or fifth sitting may be better spent on essays, extracurriculars, or other parts of your application.