Hey everyone, I've been really eyeing UVA as a potential college to apply to, but I'm a bit unsure about the competitiveness of my ACT score. Anyone know what the average ACT score is for admitted students? Would love to have a ballpark range. Thanks a million!
2 months agoThe University of Virginia (UVA) is pretty competitive when it comes to ACT scores. For students admitted during the 2022-2023 cycle (the most recent class with data available), the middle 50% ACT scores were between 32 and 34. What this range means is that 25% of admitted students had an ACT score below 32, another 25% had a score above 34, and the remaining 50% fell within this range.
It's important to note that these are averages and a score within this range does not guarantee admission, nor does a score outside this range preclude admission. While your ACT score is an important part of your application, UVA, like many colleges and universities, employs a holistic review process. They will consider other academic factors like your GPA, courses you took in high school, and your academic trends, as well as your extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendation letters.
If you want to know how your application as a whole stacks up at UVA, I'd check out CollegeVine's free chancing engine, which accounts for all quantifiable elements of your application, including not just test scores but also GPA, course rigor, and extracurriculars to give you personalized odds of acceptance at UVA and hundreds of other colleges: https://www.collegevine.com/admissions-calculator
This tool will also give you suggestions on how to improve your chances, whether by raising your ACT score slightly or some other step, like earning a leadership position in one of your extracurriculars.
Or, if you want tips on how to strengthen the more intangible aspects of your application, I'd check out this blog post from CollegeVine, which breaks down how to tackle their school-specific supplemental essays: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-university-of-virginia-essays/. The essays are a great opportunity to showcase what you have to offer beyond the numbers.
Finally, it's worth noting that UVA is officially test-optional, so you actually are not required to submit an ACT (or SAT) score. However, you're smart to still be thinking about target ACT scores, as UVA is quite selective, and thus showcasing your strengths in as many ways as possible would be wise. For detailed guidance on how to navigate test-optional policies, check out this blog post from CollegeVine: https://blog.collegevine.com/does-test-optional-mean-test-optional
To summarize, ideally you'd be in the 32-34 range at UVA, but that won't guarantee admission, whereas you could potentially compensate for being below it by showcasing your strengths in other areas of your application. Good luck, and go Cavaliers!
2 months agoCollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.