Ferris State SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
By the Cheetah Prep team · Reviewed July 14, 2026
SAT middle 50 percent
890 to 1120
Half of enrolled students at Ferris State scored in this range on the SAT. One quarter scored above 1120, and one quarter below 890.
- Average composite
- 1012
- Acceptance rate
- 91.4%
- ACT range
- 20 to 24
- Test policy
- Test optional
- Location
- Big Rapids, MI
- Undergraduates
- 8,106
Ferris State SAT Scores and Admissions
About 91 of every 100 applicants get into Ferris State University, so Ferris State SAT scores matter less as a gatekeeper here than at most schools. The acceptance rate in the 2024 to 2025 federal data is 91.4%, which means that in a pool of 1,000 applicants, roughly 914 get an offer and only about 86 do not. Still, the numbers tell you where you stand: the middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored between 890 and 1120 on the SAT, with an average of 1012. An application in decent shape is very likely to succeed, so your score decides your footing once you arrive more than whether you get in. It can also decide what you pay, since scores often feed merit aid decisions.
Ferris State is a public university in Big Rapids, MI, with 8,106 students, small enough that you are not a face in a lecture hall of 500. The section splits lean verbal: Reading and Writing runs 460 to 570 while Math runs 430 to 550. For students working from the ACT instead, the middle range is 20 to 24. Testing is optional in the most recent federal data, so you choose whether your score goes on the file, and that choice is the real strategic decision here.
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Ferris State SAT Score Breakdown by Section
Here is the section by section SAT profile of enrolled students at Ferris State, from the federal College Scorecard.
| Section | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 460 | 570 |
| Math | 430 | 550 |
| CompositeTotal SAT | 890 | 1120 |
The College Board reports section percentiles, not section averages, so an average is shown for the composite only.
Where this sits on the 400 to 1600 scale
890 to 1120
Ferris State Admissions Calculator: What Are Your Chances?
Enter your SAT score and unweighted GPA for an honest read on your chances of getting into Ferris State, measured against real enrolled student data instead of a made up percentage.
No SAT score yet? Take the diagnostic and get a real number in about 25 minutes.
How this calculator works: your SAT is compared with Ferris State's reported middle 50 percent range from the federal College Scorecard, your GPA is compared with the range admitted students at similarly selective schools typically present, and both are weighed against the school's real acceptance rate. We do not print a made up percent chance. No calculator can see your essays, your course rigor, or your recommendations, and at selective schools those decide close calls. Treat this as an honest read of your academic position, not a prediction.
Chances of Getting Into Ferris State by SAT Score
Here is what specific scores mean at Ferris State, based on its reported 890 to 1120 middle 50 percent range. Find the row closest to your score, or use the calculator above for a read on your exact numbers. No made up percentages: each verdict is your real position in the enrolled class.
| SAT score | Where it lands | The honest read |
|---|---|---|
| 740 | Well below the 25th percentile | A 740 is well below the 890 to 1120 range at Ferris State. On testing alone this score does not keep the application in contention, so raising it is the priority. |
| 840 | Just below the 25th percentile | A 840 falls just short of Ferris State's 25th percentile of 890. Some students get in below the range, but they usually bring something exceptional elsewhere in the application. |
| 1010 | Inside the middle 50 percent | A 1010 sits inside the 890 to 1120 range, matching the profile of enrolled students. This is a competitive score here. |
| 1120 | At the 75th percentile | A 1120 matches the 75th percentile at Ferris State, stronger than about 3 out of 4 enrolled students. Testing is a clear strength at this level. |
| 1150 | Above the 75th percentile | A 1150 beats the 75th percentile at Ferris State. The score is doing all it can; nothing more is gained by retaking. |
How to Raise Your SAT Score to Ferris State's Range
The two targets that matter here are 890, the score that puts you inside the admitted range, and 1120, the score that puts you in the top quarter. Here is the size of the jump from common starting points, with the step by step plan for each one.
| Starting score | To reach 890 | To reach 1120 | The plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Already there | +120 points | 1000 to 1200 plan |
Not sure where you stand today? The diagnostic gives you a real starting score and a section breakdown in one sitting, so the gap you plan around is your actual gap.
What SAT Score Do You Need for Ferris State?
Read the middle 50 as three zones. Below 890 total, you are under 3 out of 4 enrolled students. With a 91.4% acceptance rate you can still get in, but consider whether to submit the score at all, since testing is optional in the most recent federal data. Withholding a score below the range costs you nothing here and keeps a weak number off your file. Between 890 and 1120, you match the typical Ferris State student and a submitted score works for you; the average sits at 1012, so anything above that puts you in the upper half of the class. Above 1120, you outscore at least 3 out of 4 classmates, which can help with merit consideration.
By section, Reading and Writing sets the higher bar: its 25th percentile is 460 against Math's 430, and its 75th is 570 against Math's 550. That 30 point gap at the low end and 20 point gap at the high end means the enrolled class as a whole is stronger on the verbal side. If your verbal score trails your math score by much, that is the gap to close first.
Ferris State GPA Requirements
Admitted students at Ferris State typically present an unweighted GPA somewhere around 3.0 to 3.5. That is a wide band, and it reflects a school that admits 91.4% of applicants: solid grades in a normal college prep schedule are enough for most students. Ferris State is not filtering for a class of straight A students. It is checking that you can handle college work.
What sits behind the number matters as much as the number itself. A 3.2 earned in honors and AP courses reads stronger than a 3.4 built on the easiest available schedule, because course choice shows how you respond when the work gets harder. Readers see the transcript line by line, not just the summary number.
If your GPA lands near the bottom of that band, the fastest fix is a strong SAT. Grades take semesters to move; a score can move in weeks. A score above 1120 puts you in the top quarter of Ferris State students and answers any question a 3.0 transcript might raise. Under an optional policy, that pairing of a modest GPA and a strong score is exactly when submitting helps most.
Typical admitted GPA
Admitted students at Ferris State typically present a GPA in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on an unweighted 4.0 scale. Steady grades in a reasonable course load are usually enough on the GPA side of the application.
If your GPA sits at or below this range, a strong SAT score is the fastest way to stay competitive, since grades are hard to move late in high school. See where your SAT score really stands and build the plan around the gap.
These are unweighted grades on a 4.0 scale. A school that weights GPA or reports a different scale will show a higher number.
Ferris State SAT Testing Policy
Ferris State considered scores without requiring them (test optional) in the most recent federal data. Testing policies change year to year, so confirm the current 2026-2027policy on the school's admissions site before you decide whether to submit scores.
Should you submit your score?
Submit your score when it is at or above 1005, the middle of Ferris State's range. If you are below 890, the 25th percentile, consider holding your score and letting your grades, essays, and activities carry the application.
Last verified July 14, 2026
Should You Submit Your SAT Score to Ferris State?
Ferris State was test optional in the most recent federal data, which turns your score into a strategic choice. The folk theory that applying without scores signals weakness is overstated, but the math of what helps is simple: a score that lands inside or above the admitted range works for you, and a score well below it does not.
1010+
Submit
At or above the middle of the admitted range, submitting clearly helps. A real data point beats an open question.
890 to 1010
Lean submit
Inside the range, most counselors say send it: you are within the profile of enrolled students, and holding it back leaves the reader guessing.
Below 890
Usually hold it
Below the 25th percentile the score rarely helps at Ferris State. Apply without it, or better, close the gap first. Scores can still matter for merit scholarships elsewhere on your list.
Policy as reported for the 2024-2025 cycle. We verified it against Ferris State's own site, where any mid cycle change would appear first.
Ferris State ACT Scores: Should You Take the SAT or ACT?
The middle 50 percent of enrolled students at Ferris State scored between 20 and 24 on the ACT, alongside the 890 to 1120 SAT range. Like nearly every US college, Ferris State states no preference between the two tests. The right move is to take whichever test converts higher for you, using the official concordance below, and send that one.
| ACT composite | SAT equivalent |
|---|---|
| 24 | 1160 to 1190 |
| 23 | 1130 to 1150 |
| 22 | 1100 to 1120 |
| 21 | 1060 to 1090 |
| 20 | 1030 to 1050 |
| 19 | 990 to 1020 |
SAT equivalents from the official College Board and ACT concordance tables. Highlighted rows fall inside Ferris State's ACT middle 50 percent.
How to Get Into Ferris State
Set two targets. Hitting 890 or above, the 25th percentile, keeps you inside the enrolled range, so a submitted score does no harm. Hitting 1120 or above, the 75th percentile, puts you in the top quarter, which is the score worth submitting under an optional policy and the one that strengthens a lighter transcript. Per section, that means pushing Reading and Writing past 570 and Math past 550. If you sit between the two lines, aim past 1012, the enrolled average, so your score reads as a plus rather than a neutral fact.
Work backward from where you are now. Our score plans map the week by week route from a starting score to a target like 1120. If you have not tested recently, take a diagnostic first so the plan starts from a real number, not a guess. A 100 point gap and a 250 point gap call for very different schedules, and you cannot pick between them without a baseline. Next step: sit the diagnostic this week, then set your target against the 890 and 1120 lines.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Ferris State?
Ferris State admits about 914 of every 1,000 applicants, and enrolls an undergraduate class of about 8,106. That ratio, not any single cutoff, is what makes the admitted profile look the way it does: when a school turns away 86 of every 1,000 people who apply, the students who get in cluster at the top of every measurable scale.
For perspective against the country as a whole: Ferris State's 25th percentile score of 890 already beats roughly 20% of all SAT takers nationally, and its 75th percentile of 1120 sits around the 62th percentile. A score that feels middling on this page is an excellent score almost anywhere else, which is worth remembering when you build the rest of your list.
Colleges Similar to Ferris State: Reach, Match, and Safety Options
Real reported ranges from schools students often consider alongside Ferris State, ordered by acceptance rate. Odds are compared on acceptance rate first, because a school with a lower SAT average can still be far harder to get into.
| School | SAT middle 50 percent | Acceptance rate | Odds vs Ferris State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferris State | 890 to 1120 | 91.4% | This page |
| CUNY Lehman | 850 to 1150 | 56.6% | Harder to get into than Ferris Statesimilar SAT range |
| Eastern Michigan | 920 to 1170 | 79.6% | Similar oddsSAT about 40 higher |
| Wayne State | 1060 to 1270 | 81.2% | Similar oddsSAT about 160 higher |
| Grand Valley State | 940 to 1190 | 83.0% | Similar oddsSAT about 60 higher |
| Oakland | 1030 to 1230 | 87.8% | Similar oddsSAT about 125 higher |
| New Mexico State | 870 to 1110 | 89.0% | Similar oddsSAT about 15 lower |
How Recent Are These Ferris State SAT Scores?
Every score, rate, and enrollment figure on this page comes from the US Department of Education College Scorecard, 2024-2025 release, the same federal dataset colleges report into. Testing policy reflects the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. This page was last reviewed July 14, 2026.
Score ranges quoted around the web for Ferris State disagree with each other more than you would expect, usually because a site is quoting an older class or an unlabeled estimate. We publish the reported number, label the vintage, and update when the source updates. We also cross checked Ferris State's own admissions site, where any change would appear first.
Ferris State SAT Scores and GPA: Frequently Asked Questions
What SAT score do you need to get into Ferris State?
Ferris State's middle 50 percent SAT range is 890 to 1120. Aim for at least 890 to be competitive, and 1120 or higher to be a strong applicant. There is no hard cutoff, but a score in or above this range keeps your application in contention.
Is a 890 a good SAT score for Ferris State?
A 890 sits at Ferris State's 25th percentile, the lower edge of its middle 50 percent range of 890 to 1120. It keeps you in range, but a score closer to 1120 makes your application stronger.
What is the average SAT score at Ferris State?
The average composite SAT score at Ferris State is 1012. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored between 890 and 1120.
Does Ferris State require SAT scores?
No. Ferris State was test optional in the most recent federal data, so you can apply without SAT scores. Confirm the current 2026-2027 policy on the school's admissions site before you decide whether to submit.
Is Ferris State test optional for 2026-2027?
Ferris State was test optional in the most recent federal data, meaning you could apply without scores. Policies change year to year, so verify the 2026-2027 policy on the school's admissions site.
What ACT score do you need for Ferris State?
Ferris State's middle 50 percent ACT range is 20 to 24. Aim for at least 20 to be competitive and 24 or higher to be a strong applicant. A strong ACT can stand in for the SAT at Ferris State.
What GPA do you need to get into Ferris State?
Admitted students at Ferris State typically present an unweighted GPA in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on the 4.0 scale, based on schools with a comparable acceptance rate. Grades earned in rigorous courses matter as much as the number itself, and a strong SAT score is the fastest way to offset a GPA at the lower edge of that range.
What is Ferris State's acceptance rate?
Ferris State admits about 91.4% of applicants, which makes it less selective. A strong SAT score still helps your application stand out, especially for selective majors, honors programs, and merit scholarships.
What are my chances of getting into Ferris State?
Ferris State admits about 91.4% of applicants, so your chances depend on where you sit against the admitted pool. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored 890 to 1120 on the SAT and admitted students typically carry an unweighted GPA around 3.0 to 3.5. A score above 1120 puts you in the strongest quarter of the class on testing. Use the admissions calculator on this page to check your own SAT and GPA against Ferris State's real numbers.
How can I raise my SAT score for Ferris State?
Focus your prep on the section costing you the most points, then follow a study plan built for your target score range. Cheetah Prep has step by step score plans for specific point jumps and unlimited practice questions with worked solutions.
Does Ferris State superscore the SAT?
Superscore policies vary by school and change year to year, and Ferris State does not report this in the federal data. Check the school's admissions site for its current superscore policy, which tells you whether it combines your best section scores across test dates.
About this page: written and reviewed by the Cheetah Prep team. Last reviewed July 14, 2026.
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