So, you have a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score. Or, maybe it’s your child with a high GPA and poor test scores.
Perhaps you have a 3.85 GPA but scored 1200/1600 on the SATs. Maybe you earned a 4.0 GPA but were quite surprised to see you scored 1100/1600 on your first SAT test.
This is a story as old as time.
And, here at PenningPapers, we’ve had countless students and parents ask us how much a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score will impact their college acceptances.
“If I have a 4.0 GPA but a 1200 SAT score, will I get rejected by NYU?”
“Do I have no chance of getting accepted by Cornell if I have a 3.9 GPA and a 1350 SAT?”
“What happens if I am applying to USC with a 3.95 GPA but I also have an 1100 SAT score? Will I get auto-rejected?”
You may have even asked it yourself!
“Will colleges reject me or my child if I have a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score? Am I screwed?” There’s a simple answer: No. Ultimately, colleges WON’T auto-reject you UNLESS you don’t meet mandatory requirements.
Of course, there are exceptions.
In the world of college admissions, there are a plethora of factors that come into play. Some may have a more significant impact on your chances of success. Others will be more subtle.
In this article, we’re going to provide a comprehensive guide to said subtleties.
That is, we’ll be discussing how having a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score will affect your chances of college admissions success. We’ll cover some of the frequently asked questions we get, and we’ll also cover some crucial steps you or your child should take.
Table of Contents
- How Screwed am I if I Have a High GPA But a Low SAT/ACT?
- Can a High GPA Make Up For a Low SAT/ACT?
- What Happens if You Do Bad (Poorly) on the SAT/ACT?
- IS GPA More Important Than SAT/ACT for College Admissions?
- What Do I Do if I Have a High GPA But a Low SAT/ACT Score?
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How Screwed am I if I Have a High GPA But a Low SAT/ACT?
So, if you have a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score, where exactly does that put you in the college admissions pool? How deep are the waters? Are you swimming with sharks at this point? Is there hope?
Are you screwed?
Well, like most things in life, it depends.
If you’re applying to your local community college your situation probably isn’t as bad as you think.
But, if you’re applying to prestigious schools such as Vanderbilt, Vassar, Duke, or Rice, you may need to consider your next steps carefully.
College acceptances are getting more competitive with every passing year. In fact, acceptance rates across the nation appear to be exponentially falling. Schools that used to have acceptances in the middle 30-50% range are now hanging around the 10-20% range.
Take a look at UCI’s acceptance rate over time.
UCI Acceptance Rates Year by Year:
- 2021-22: 28.93%
- 2020-2021: 29.91%
- 2019-2020: 26.53%
- 2018-2019: 28.75%
- 2017-2018: 36.50%
- 2016-2017: N/A
- 2015-2016: N/A
- 2014-2015: 37.42%
UCI has acceptance rates from 2015-2017. But, their Common Data Set for those years is unavailable. That’s why we’ve left that part as N/A.
To put it simply, if you have a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score, not all hope is lost. You can still get accepted into a decent school depending on how you play your cards.
You’ll be at an advantage compared to students with both low GPAs and test scores. But, you’ll be at a disadvantage compared to others with better scores than you. Your best bet is to make up for your lower test scores by having stronger factors outside of the SATs and ACTs.
You can also improve your test scores quickly before the college admissions deadline. But, this often requires customized help from a professional test prep instructor. If that’s something you’d be interested in, you can always reach out to us for help with improving your SAT or ACT score fast.
Can a High GPA Make Up For a Low SAT/ACT?
Another question we get quite often here at PenningPapers is whether a high GPA can “make up” for a low SAT/ACT score. Here’s the short answer: sort of.
In the current college admissions climate, a low SAT/ACT score can certainly hurt your chances. However, a high GPA can help “save” your application from being chucked into the rejection pile.
Yet, it also might not be enough to save you.
As of now, quantitative values such as GPA, test scores, and courses make the college admissions process difficult. This is because admissions officers don’t have a lot to go off of when they’re just looking at your GPA and other number-based factors.
A 4.0 GPA and a 1200 SAT score only really say so much about you. They “might” help sway admissions officers to look the other way when it comes to your SAT score. But, at the same time, they don’t really “know” you.
Does the 1200 SAT score mean you were trying your best and you still failed? Is it indicative of an inability to perform well at the college level? Does the GPA guarantee that the SAT score is invalid?
We don’t know!
That’s why colleges have the essay section. The college essay is the perfect way for admissions officers to assess you on a more holistic level.
If you’re applying to a competitive school, your high GPA might make up for a low SAT score. Keyword: might. Admissions officers may also not want to take a risk on you.
That’s why it’s crucial that you apply to college with as strong of an application as possible. If you do not have a strong SAT score and your intended college values the importance of the SAT/ACT score very much, you may want to consider explaining the reason for your low score in the college essay or additional comment section.
If you want help with explaining your low SAT or ACT score and high GPA disparity, you may want to consider seeking professional help from a college admissions essay expert.
What Happens if You Do Bad (Poorly) on the SAT/ACT?
Okay. Now, what happens if you do badly on the SAT/ACT?
If you do bad, vigilantes like Batman are going to get you. You’ll be caught and put in Gotham prison to rot for the rest of your years.
Oh? You didn’t mean that kind of bad, right?
If you meant bad as in poor-performance sort of bad, then the proper grammatical form would be this:
“What happens if you do poorly on the SAT/ACT?”
We’re quite pedantic about this. After all, why wouldn’t we take every chance to teach you more about grammar to help improve your SAT/ACT score for free?
We know. We know.
You’re probably thinking we could have just started this article’s section with the correct grammar, right? Well, think again! Check this out!
This is a screenshot from our marketing tool, Ahrefs! According to Ahrefs, students are searching for “what happens if you do bad on the SAT” on Google’s search results. Even if we did try to write our article with proper grammar, students online are searching for answers to this question with the wrong modifier!
In order to rank on Google’s algorithm using exact match keywords, we’d have to use the improper grammatical form that YOU GUYS wrote into Google’s search bar!
The horror!
… just kidding. We’re just being dramatic.
Anyway, let’s answer the main question. What happens if you do poorly on the SAT? The answer is simple: you’re judged accordingly. In addition, you’re probably not going to be judged as hard as you think.
Of course, there are exceptions.
If you scored a 24 on the ACT and scored 1000 on the SAT, it’s unlikely that Ivy League institutions are going to look at that very fondly.
In fact, they may take that as a red flag and surely put your application in the rejection pile.
Now, if you’re applying for a competitive school and you have a lower score that’s just a few points below the average accepted range, you’re probably going to be fine.
At the end of the day, admissions officers are not going to judge your SAT or ACT score too harshly so long as you’re not deviating from the average too much.
If you do however score below average or far below average, and you’re looking to apply to competitive T20 schools, we would highly recommend doing 2 things:
- Check the school’s common data set and look at how important they rank the SAT and ACT scores.
- Find extracurriculars, conduct impressive projects, and develop strong essays that will help you compensate for the low SAT and ACT scores.
You can check the common data set by simply typing the name of the school you want to apply to followed by “common data set” into Google.
You’ll find that some schools are test blind. Others only somewhat care about the test scores. And, others value it as much as the GPA.
For obvious reasons, scoring low on the SATs or ACTs and applying to a school that weighs them heavily is going to be the worst situation to be in. You’ll need to ensure you have strong supplementary materials like the college essays and, if possible, a letter of explanation to the school describing the reasons for your low test scores.
IS GPA More Important Than SAT/ACT for College Admissions?
Let’s clear the air for a sec!
Some schools are going to be test-blind. Some schools are test-optional. Other ones will require you to submit test scores.
Schools under the University of California system are one example of institutions that are test blind. This means that they will NOT be using your SAT or ACT scores to make a decision on your admission into their institution.
Schools that are test-optional will consider your SATs and ACTs if you submit them; but, they will NOT judge your application if you do not submit test scores. Often, you’ll be competing against a pool of students with high scores, as those are the only students who believe they have scores worth submitting.
For both test-blind and test-optional schools, the GPA is often going to be more important than the SAT/ACT score.
Now, let’s cover test-required schools.
Depending on the institution you’re applying for, the SATs and ACTs may be less important than the GPA. Or, vice versa.
You can check whether a school values the GPA more than the SATs and ACTs in its admissions process by looking up “school name” and “Common Data Set” on Google’s search bar —minus the quotation marks.
For instance, on Google, you may search…
Vanderbilt University Common Data Set
Often, the first page’s first result will be the respective university’s CDS report. In it, you can find the latest data set on their college admissions requirements and priorities. You can also see whether the GPA is more important than the SATs and ACTs or equally important.
Below, we’ve pasted Vanderbilt’s Common Data Set information on test score priority.
In the photo above, you can see that Vanderbilt University put the standardized test scores under the “important” value. This puts the SATs and ACTs as equal in value to recommendation letters and demonstrated talent/ability.
Note that MOST universities are going to put less weight on the SATs and ACTs in the coming future. This is due to many reasons. However, the primary reason is the unfairness of standardized testing.
In the world of college admissions, institutions are implementing more fair and equitable ways to measure student proficiency. Considering this, the SATs and ACTs are often touted as unfair and a direct measure of student privilege and wealth rather than proficiency in college readiness.
With an ever-evolving college admissions process trending toward diversity, equity, and inclusion, it’s safe to say that colleges are going to slowly make the shift toward removing the SATs and ACTs in the admissions decision pool.
But, don’t take this as a reason NOT to take standardized tests.
After all, some schools such as MIT have decided to reinstate the SATs and ACTs in their college decision process after going test-blind.
“After careful consideration, we have decided to reinstate our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles. Our research shows standardized tests help us better assess the academic preparedness of all applicants, and also help us identify socioeconomically disadvantaged students who lack access to advanced coursework or other enrichment opportunities that would otherwise demonstrate their readiness for MIT. We believe a requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.“
MIT Official Website: We are reinstating our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cycles by Stu Schmill ’86
How interesting!
Some schools such as MIT are reinstating the SAT/ACT requirement not against equitability and diversity, but rather FOR diversity and equitability.
The uptrend in college admissions diversity, equity, and inclusion may actually get schools such as MIT and others to value the SATs and ACTs more over time.
Ultimately, it looks like the college admissions process is in a state of turmoil —where schools are rocking back and forth between whether to value the SATs and ACTs more or less. There’s no telling what the future will hold. But, if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that the SATs and ACTs are here to stay for now. And, you may want to score high if you want to apply high.
What Do I Do if I Have a High GPA But a Low SAT/ACT Score?
Alright. Now that we’ve covered some of the common SAT scoring questions, let’s talk about actionable steps.
If you’ve scored low on the SATs or ACTs and you have a high GPA, there are 4 steps we highly recommend you take.
- Increasing your score.
- Adjusting your college list.
- Explaining your low test scores.
- ECs, competitions, and projects.
Increase Your SAT/ACT Score With PERSONALIZED Help.
Note: this section is meant for students who still have time to improve their SAT or ACT scores. If you are reading this and can’t submit your test scores on time for the application deadline even if you perform well, this does not apply to you. (For instance: Cornell’s Freshman regular decision deadline is November 1. If you can’t get a high SAT or ACT score and submit it by the deadline [excluding colleges in: Agriculture and Life Sciences; Architecture, Art, and Planning; and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business] you don’t worry about taking the SAT/ACT.)
If you still have time to take the SAT or ACT and have your score submitted before your college application deadline, we would heavily, HEAVILY recommend having personalized help.
Personalized help means specialized one-on-one coaching on the SATs or ACTs. It’s personalized because it’s… well, personal.
Your coach should not just be teaching you which answers to bubble, fun tricks, and little tips that can boost your score a few points.
You’re on a time crunch. And, in the world of college admissions, time is worth more than gold.
You need a strong test prep instructor who can analyze your learning style and help you MAXIMIZE your score in the SHORTEST amount of time.
Efficiency is key. And, if you’re not efficient, there’s no telling whether you’ll have enough tries at the SAT/ACT to have a submittable score to your dream school.
One of the best ways of finding a suitable test prep instructor who can create a personalized study plan for you is to experiment with different private one-on-one instructors through free trials.
Typically, you’d want to work with your instructor to see whether their teaching style and workflow match your learning style. If you feel that you get along well with your teacher, they are paying attention to the things that confuse you, and they take the time to actually find methods to help you learn faster, you’ve got yourself a solid coach.
For obvious reasons, if your instructor is degrading, too strict for efficiency, and generally distasteful to work with, you can be sure they’re not a great fit for you.
Experiment and figure out which teachers are going to work best! And, if you have doubts, consider speaking with us for our expert test prep instructors’ advice and courses!
Adjust Your College List to Have Test-Optional + Test-Blind Schools.
This is a bit of an obvious piece of advice. Nonetheless, it needs to be said.
If you’re applying to college with a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score, it’s in your best interest to include test-optional and test-blind schools.
By adding test-optional and test-blind schools to the list of schools you’re applying to, you’ll provide yourself with a safety net of schools that are more likely to accept you despite your lower test scores.
Sure. There may be some schools that weigh the SATs and ACTs heavily. But, you can’t guarantee your acceptance into those schools. In addition, by having low test scores, you put yourself in a much riskier position by not having test-optional and test-blind schools.
Let’s say that you have a 4.0 GPA but a very low SAT score.
If you apply to the UC schools, you’ll be applying to campuses that pretend as if your disadvantage doesn’t exist at all. They don’t care if you have a low SAT score. It has literally 0 effects on the admissions decision.
You may certainly take the risk by applying to competitive T20 schools that weigh the SATs and ACTs heavily. But, it’s always a good idea to back up your application pool with schools that aren’t picky about test scores.
Perhaps you wouldn’t otherwise attend a UC school. That’s okay! As long as you apply and have a small handful of acceptances to choose from by the time the admissions cycle ends, you’ll have choices to pick from. In addition, it’s often the case that students with high GPAs but low SAT/ACT scores regret not applying to more test-blind and test-optional schools!
Explain Your Low SAT/ACT in Your College Essays or Additional Comments Section.
We’ve mentioned this tip earlier. Now, we’re going to go more in-depth with it.
One of the best things you can do if you’re applying to college with a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score is to explain your low scores in the written parts of your application.
The written parts are one of the only qualitative elements of your app. And, they’re often the best part for admissions officers to provide a holistic admissions process for you. So, treat it like your best friend.
There are 3 parts you can possibly elaborate on your low SAT/ACT scores.
- The college essay.
- The additional comments section. (if applicable)
- A letter of explanation.
We’ll cover each of these one at a time.
The college essays are often the questions you need to answer in order to actually send the application. They are often 250-1000 words long, and typically ask you about challenges, goals, experiences, and more.
Some questions like the UC essay prompt 5, which asks about your greatest challenge or obstacle faced, give a great opportunity for you to open up about your low scores. You can write about how your experiences with Depression, ADHD, personal tragedies, and other obstacles made earning a high score more difficult than usual.
Note: even if you have a great college essay question to write about your low test scores, it’s best to be discreet about it. Don’t make your main topic about the test scores. Instead, make it about your struggles, journey, or experience; then, subtly mention how it made earning high test scores more difficult throughout the essay or in small paragraphs. This is crucial to ensure admissions officers learn more about you without making the whole essay an explanatory statement.
College essays don’t always make it possible to write about low SAT/ACT scores. Sometimes, they ask questions that don’t provide any opportunity to even open up about test scores or remotely anything academic at all. For instance, questions like “How do you express your creative side” from the UC essay prompt 2 provide no opportunities to discuss test scores due to complete irrelevance.
Some colleges have an additional comments section in their application. For instance, the UC schools have an additional comments box with a small word limit that lets you explain anything that was not mentioned in the application. This is your chance to elaborate to admissions officers why you may have not earned as high a test score as you originally intended.
In the additional comments section, we recommend being brief but also explaining in as articulate and detailed of a description as possible. Remember: the admissions officers are NOT looking for excuses. It’s good to take responsibility for mistakes. But, you should also emphasize the IMPOSSIBILITY of earning a high test score.
Demonstrating to admissions officers that earning a high score was impossible given your circumstances, makes your background much more understandable. Impossibility can also explain the unusual disparity between the high GPAs and low SAT/ACT scores since most students with high GPAs also have high test scores unless they suffered unusual and impossible circumstances.
However, if you do not have space in the additional comments section to truly explain your situation, you may want to consider sending an email to the admissions office. There’s no real name for this; so, we’ll just call it a letter of explanation.
A letter of explanation, well, explains to admissions officers in detail why you struggled the way you did. It’s a way to help the admissions office understand your circumstances in a way that the college essays and additional comments section didn’t have space to do. Typically, this letter would be anywhere between 0.5-1 page long in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.
The letter should be formally written with a much more professional tone than that of what you’d see in your college essay. Additionally, it should explain in more detail the reasons why you were struggling or failed to earn a higher test score. If possible, it’s helpful to provide documentation of evidence supporting your reasons for being unable to score as high as you’d hope. (Example: doctor’s note, business documents, etc.)
Compensate for a Low SAT/ACT With Extracurriculars, Competitions, and Projects.
Lastly, let’s talk about compensating for your low GPA/ACT using other qualitative factors.
This is not always doable for most students. But, if you have both the time and energy to pour, it’s worth engaging in extracurriculars, attending competitions, and conducting projects.
Let’s be fully transparent here: just because you do a last-minute extracurricular, win a small competition, or create a rushed side project does NOT mean you can make up for a weak SAT/ACT score.
Often, colleges are going to want to see very impressive extracurriculars with both years of dedication and results, meaningful competitions that involve other schools or regions, or conducted side projects that have visible benefits or progress before they’re willing to turn a blind eye to a low test score.
This is not always easy. After all, who has the time to start practicing for a competition or start their own startup project?
That’s why we highly recommend working with a mentor or coach who has experience with creating side projects that can demonstrate growth over time in a short period of time.
It’s not easy; but, our method here at PenningPapers is actually to teach students to learn about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and other online marketing methods as a way to build themselves a meaningful portfolio with strong versatility for all majors. Building an online marketing portfolio typically works well for any applicant looking to apply to colleges of all majors.
If you’re looking to apply to colleges and make up for a low set of test scores by creating your own project, consider speaking with us to learn more about how to conduct your own last-minute SEO project before the application deadline! It may save your admissions chances!
As a last piece of advice, we recommend not relying too much on titles such as president, treasurer, and other vanity metrics as a way of compensating for a low SAT/ACT score.
Universities are increasingly cracking down on vanity metrics like leadership positions and titles. This is because many students earn positions of power like these through means of either unfavorable voting processes, popularity competitions, and last-minute self-promotion.
For instance, students will often name themselves president of a club simply by signing up for a club and making themselves president through an online form at their school. Then, they’ll create an Instagram account with low-effort posts that were made last minute to “promote social justice” and other well-meaning altruisms.
These do NOT work.
Admissions officers are not stupid. And, it’s actually quite offensive when this is done! Think about how you would feel in the admissions officers’ shoes if you were reading an application from a student who thought they could game the system with a simple trick like this! It’s unsavory, and certainly not the kind of personality you’d want to have admitted to your school.
Thus, the best last-minute extracurriculars and projects to make before the application deadline are often the honest, open, and humble ones with results. As long as you put the effort in it —even if you fail at the project— admissions officers will recognize the labor you’ve put into the work and the honesty with which you come forward with it.
Be bold. Be humble. And, be honest.
If you’re looking for extra help as a student with a high GPA but a low SAT/ACT score, consider speaking with our expert college admissions advisors and consultants. We’ve helped students with low scores and even low GPAs write stellar essays and craft meaningful applications that got accepted into schools like NYU, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, UPenn, Duke, and more!