SAT Scores and ACT Scores for Admission to Rhode Island Colleges

Rhode Island may be a small state, but it has some excellent options for higher education. To see if your SAT scores are in line for admission to your favorite Rhode Island colleges, the table below can help guide you. You'll see that about half of the colleges in Rhode Island have test-optional admissions so they don't report their SAT or ACT scores to the Department of Education. Salve Regina University does require scores for some programs, so be sure to check out your program's specific admissions requirements when applying.

Rhode Island Colleges SAT Scores (mid 50%)

(Learn what these numbers mean)

Like all New England states, Rhode Island colleges get far more applicants submitting SAT scores than ACT scores. At the University of Rhode Island, for example, 91% of applicants submitted SAT scores and just 21% submitted ACT scores. Nevertheless, every college that accepts the SAT will also accept ACT scores, and the schools have no preference as to which exam you take. Below is the ACT data for Rhode Island colleges.

Rhode Island Colleges ACT Scores (mid 50%)

(Learn what these numbers mean)

You'll see that admissions standards vary greatly from Brown University with painfully selective admissions to schools with much lower admissions standards. The scores in the table are for the middle 50% of enrolled students. If your scores fall within or above these ranges, your standardized test scores are on target for admission to one of these Rhode Island colleges. If your scores are slightly below the range presented in the table, don't lose all hope—remember that 25% of enrolled students have SAT scores below those listed.

Also remember that SAT scores are just one part of the application. At many of these Rhode Island colleges, the admissions officers will also want to see a strong academic record, a winning essay, meaningful extracurricular activities and good letters of recommendation. When a school has holistic admissions, strengths in other areas can make up for less-than-ideal standardized test scores. Success in AP, IB and dual enrollment courses can be a particularly useful predictor of your ability to succeed in college.

If you want to expand your college search beyond Rhode Island, be sure to check out the SAT and ACT data for Connecticut and Massachusetts. Or you can explore my picks for the top colleges in New England. The New England states have a higher density of colleges than almost anywhere else in the nation, so you should have no difficulty finding a school that matches your personality, qualifications, and academic interests.

Most data from the National Center for Educational Statistics