Resources For Students & Parents ACT Scores for Admission to Selective Liberal Arts Colleges A Side-by-Side Comparison of College Admissions Data Share Flipboard Email Print Weidensall Hall at Gettysburg College. Photo Credit: Allen Grove For Students & Parents Test Prep ACT Strategies & Studying Registration Study Skills SAT The GRE The LSAT TOEFL & TOEIC Certifications Homework Help Private Schools College Admissions College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More by Allen Grove Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Updated December 04, 2017 Below is a table comparing ACT scores for the middle 50% of students enrolled in each school. These 19 schools are some of the top selective liberal arts colleges in the country, and in general, applicants will need strong scores to be admitted. If your ACT scores fall within or above the ranges listed below, you're on track for admission to these schools. Top College ACT Score Comparison (mid 50%)(Learn what these numbers mean) ACT ScoresGPA-SAT-ACTAdmissionsScattergram CompositeEnglishMath 25%75%25%75%25%75%Bowdoin------see graphBryn Mawr283230352631see graphClaremont McKenna313330332833see graphColby303330342732see graphColgate303331352833see graphCollege of the Holy CrossTest-Optional Admissionssee graphDavidson2832----see graphDenison------see graphDickinson------see graphGettysburg------see graphHamilton3133----see graphKenyon293330352732see graphLafayette273127332732see graphMacalester293330352732see graphOberlin293330352732see graphReed293330352733see graphVassar303331352732see graphWashington and Lee303331352833see graphWhitman2832----see graphView the SAT version of this table Keep in mind that ACT scores are just one part of the application. Even if you have perfect 36s for each ACT subject you could still get rejected if other parts of your application are weak--good ACT scores do not guarantee admission. Since these schools all have holistic admissions, admissions officers will also take into account letters of recommendation, writing skills, academic backgrounds/variety, extracurricular activities, and work/volunteer experience.If you click on the "see graph" links to the right of each school, you'll see a visual that shows how other students fared; these graphs illustrate the GPAs and ACT/SAT scores of applicants who were admitted, rejected, and waitlisted. You'll see that some students with high test scores were not admitted, while some with low scores were admitted. These colleges are selective, with acceptance rates in the teens and twenties. So, even though 25% of enrolled students had ACT scores below these ranges, successful applicants generally have high scores, good grades, and a strong application. To see a full profile of each college, click on the names in the table above. You can also check out these other ACT links (or SAT links):ACT Comparison Charts: the Ivy League | top universities | top liberal arts colleges | more top liberal arts | top public universities | top public liberal arts colleges | University of California campuses | Cal State campuses | SUNY campuses | more ACT charts ACT Tables by State: AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WYData from National Center for Educational Statistics Continue Reading