College of Saint Benedict SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)

About 92 of every 100 applicants get into the College of Saint Benedict, an admission rate of 91.5% in the 2024-2025 data. So when students look up College of Saint Benedict SAT scores, the real question is not whether they can get in, it is whether their score matches the students who enroll. The middle 50 percent of submitted SAT scores runs from 1048 to 1233, with an average of 1151. That range describes a broad group: a 1050 and a 1230 both landed inside it. The ACT middle 50 sits at 20 to 27, which tells the same story from a different test.

The school itself is small. Enrollment is about 1,370 students, and the campus sits in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. It is a private nonprofit institution, and in the most recent federal data its testing policy is optional, so applicants choose whether to send scores at all. That choice matters more here than at a school that requires testing. If your SAT sits at or above the 1151 average, sending it strengthens the file. If it sits near the 1048 floor of the range, you can hold it back and let the rest of the application carry the weight.

Read the 1048 to 1233 range as three zones. Below 1048, your score falls under 3 out of 4 enrolled students who submitted. Since the school is test optional in the most recent federal data, a score down there is usually better left off the application. Inside the range, you look like the typical admit: a 1151, the average, puts you square in the middle of the class. Above 1233, you outscore roughly 3 out of 4 submitters, which can help with more than admission at a private school.

The section splits show where the bar actually sits. Reading and Writing runs 565 to 643, while Math runs 483 to 590. That is a real gap: the 25th percentile in Reading and Writing (565) is nearly as high as the 75th percentile in Math (590). Verbal strength is the norm among enrolled students here. A student with a 600 Math score already beats most of the class on that section, while a 600 in Reading and Writing is merely typical.

Admitted students at the College of Saint Benedict typically present an unweighted GPA somewhere around 3.0 to 3.5. That band fits a school admitting 91.5% of applicants: solid grades matter, but the bar is reachable for most students who took high school seriously. A 3.2 with a steady upward trend reads well here. A 3.5 puts you comfortably in the pool.

The number on your transcript is only half the read, though. Grades earned in rigorous courses count as much as the GPA itself. A 3.3 built on honors and AP coursework says more than a 3.6 built on the lightest available schedule. And if your GPA sits at the lower edge of that band, a strong SAT is the fastest offset. Grades take years to move. A score can move in months. A 1233, the 75th percentile here, next to a 3.0 tells the admissions office the transcript undersold you.

Set two targets from the actual numbers. Scoring at or above 1048, the 25th percentile, keeps you inside the range of enrolled students and makes your score worth submitting. Scoring at or above 1233, the 75th percentile, puts you in the top quarter of the class, a strong position at a school where most applicants are admitted anyway. Given the section splits, the efficient play for many students is Math: moving from 550 to 620 there clears the 590 Math 75th percentile and can lift a 1150 composite toward 1220.

Start by finding out where you stand. Take a diagnostic to get a real baseline score, then compare it against the 1048 and 1233 markers. From there, our score plans map the weekly work needed to close the gap by your test date. The concrete next step: sit for a full timed practice test this week and write down your section scores next to 565 to 643 and 483 to 590.