Georgia Southern SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
By the Cheetah Prep team · Reviewed July 14, 2026
SAT middle 50 percent
986 to 1133
Half of enrolled students at Georgia Southern scored in this range on the SAT. One quarter scored above 1133, and one quarter below 986.
- Average composite
- 1053
- Acceptance rate
- 87.9%
- ACT range
- 18 to 23
- Test policy
- Test optional
- Location
- Statesboro, GA
- Undergraduates
- 21,790
Georgia Southern SAT Scores and Admissions
Georgia Southern University is a public university in Statesboro, GA, with 21,790 students, big enough to feel like a major campus but far from an admissions gauntlet. If you are checking Georgia Southern SAT scores, the picture from the 2024-2025 data is friendly: the middle 50% of admitted students scored between 986 and 1133, and the average sits at 1053. The acceptance rate is 87.9%. Put that in applicant terms: out of every 1,000 students who apply, roughly 879 get an offer. Rejection is the unusual outcome here, not the expected one, and that should shape how you read every number on this page.
The section splits tell you where the bar actually sits. Reading and Writing runs from 528 to 583 for the middle half of the class, while Math runs from 458 to 550. That is an unusual gap: the verbal side sets a noticeably higher standard than the math side here. If you take the ACT instead, the middle 50% runs 18 to 23. Georgia Southern is also test optional under its 2024-2025 policy, which changes the job your score does. You are not scoring to survive a cut. You are deciding whether your number makes your file stronger, so every point you add is leverage, not survival.
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Georgia Southern SAT Score Breakdown by Section
Here is the section by section SAT profile of enrolled students at Georgia Southern, from the federal College Scorecard.
| Section | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 528 | 583 |
| Math | 458 | 550 |
| CompositeTotal SAT | 986 | 1133 |
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
986 to 1133
Georgia Southern Admissions Calculator: What Are Your Chances?
Enter your SAT score and unweighted GPA for an honest read on your chances of getting into Georgia Southern, 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 Georgia Southern'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 Georgia Southern by SAT Score
Here is what specific scores mean at Georgia Southern, based on its reported 986 to 1133 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 840 | Well below the 25th percentile | A 840 is well below the 986 to 1133 range at Georgia Southern. On testing alone this score does not keep the application in contention, so raising it is the priority. |
| 940 | Just below the 25th percentile | A 940 falls just short of Georgia Southern's 25th percentile of 986. Some students get in below the range, but they usually bring something exceptional elsewhere in the application. |
| 1060 | Inside the middle 50 percent | A 1060 sits inside the 986 to 1133 range, matching the profile of enrolled students. This is a competitive score here. |
| 1130 | Inside the middle 50 percent | A 1130 sits inside the 986 to 1133 range, matching the profile of enrolled students. This is a competitive score here. |
| 1160 | Above the 75th percentile | A 1160 beats the 75th percentile at Georgia Southern. The score is doing all it can; nothing more is gained by retaking. |
How to Raise Your SAT Score to Georgia Southern's Range
The two targets that matter here are 986, the score that puts you inside the admitted range, and 1133, 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 986 | To reach 1133 | The plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Already there | +133 points | 1000 to 1200 plan |
| 1100 | Already there | +33 points | 1100 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 Georgia Southern?
Read your score against the 986 to 1133 middle 50 range, because those 2 numbers are the real decision points. Below 986, you sit in the bottom quarter of admitted students. With an 87.9% acceptance rate you can still get in, but since Georgia Southern is test optional, a score down there is usually better left unsubmitted; the policy exists so a weak number never has to touch your file. Inside the range, roughly 1000 to 1100, you look like a typical admitted student and submitting helps your case. Above 1133, you are in the top quarter of the class, which strengthens your application and can matter for competitive programs.
Check your sections separately too, because the composite hides the story here. The Reading and Writing middle 50 runs 528 to 583 versus 458 to 550 for Math, so a 540 reads as ordinary on the verbal side but lands near the top quarter in Math. A student whose strength is math clears the bar more easily than the composite alone suggests, while a verbal specialist has less room to coast than the friendly acceptance rate implies.
Georgia Southern GPA Requirements
Admitted students at Georgia Southern typically present an unweighted GPA somewhere around 3.0 to 3.5. That is a wide band, and it reflects an admissions office that says yes to 87.9% of applicants: solid, consistent grades are enough, and perfection is not the expectation. You do not need a transcript full of A grades to be a realistic candidate here. You need a record that shows you passed real courses and kept your footing.
Still, the number on your transcript is only half the story. A 3.3 earned in honors or AP courses reads stronger than a 3.5 built on the easiest schedule available, because course choice tells the reader how you handle work that pushes back. And if your GPA sits near the bottom of that band, the fastest offset is a strong SAT. A score above 1133, the 75th percentile here, gives the admissions reader a concrete reason to look past a rough semester. It also arrives on a different clock: a GPA takes years to repair, while a score can move meaningfully in weeks of focused work.
Typical admitted GPA
Admitted students at Georgia Southern 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.
Georgia Southern SAT Testing Policy
Georgia Southern 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 1060, the middle of Georgia Southern's range. If you are below 986, 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 Georgia Southern?
Georgia Southern 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.
1060+
Submit
At or above the middle of the admitted range, submitting clearly helps. A real data point beats an open question.
986 to 1060
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 986
Usually hold it
Below the 25th percentile the score rarely helps at Georgia Southern. 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 Georgia Southern's own site, where any mid cycle change would appear first.
Georgia Southern ACT Scores: Should You Take the SAT or ACT?
The middle 50 percent of enrolled students at Georgia Southern scored between 18 and 23 on the ACT, alongside the 986 to 1133 SAT range. Like nearly every US college, Georgia Southern 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 |
|---|---|
| 23 | 1130 to 1150 |
| 22 | 1100 to 1120 |
| 21 | 1060 to 1090 |
| 20 | 1030 to 1050 |
| 19 | 990 to 1020 |
| 18 | 960 to 980 |
| 17 | 920 to 950 |
SAT equivalents from the official College Board and ACT concordance tables. Highlighted rows fall inside Georgia Southern's ACT middle 50 percent.
How to Get Into Georgia Southern
Set 2 concrete targets, anchored to the real percentiles. First, get to 986 or above. That is the 25th percentile, the floor of the middle 50, and clearing it keeps you out of the bottom quarter and makes your score worth submitting under the test optional policy. Second, if Georgia Southern is a likely yes for you already, aim past 1133, the 75th percentile. Landing in the top quarter helps with program placement and merit consideration, and it turns a school you would get into anyway into a school that wants to compete for you. Given the section splits, most students here gain the most by pushing Math from the 458 floor toward 550 and beyond, since that is where the class as a whole is weakest.
Start by finding out where you stand. Take a diagnostic to get a real baseline across both sections, then use our score plans to map the point gap to a week by week schedule. Your next step is simple: block out 90 minutes this week, sit the diagnostic, and see how far you are from 1133.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Georgia Southern?
Georgia Southern admits about 879 of every 1,000 applicants, and enrolls an undergraduate class of about 21,790. That ratio, not any single cutoff, is what makes the admitted profile look the way it does: when a school turns away 121 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: Georgia Southern's 25th percentile score of 986 already beats roughly 38% of all SAT takers nationally, and its 75th percentile of 1133 sits around the 63th 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 Georgia Southern: Reach, Match, and Safety Options
Real reported ranges from schools students often consider alongside Georgia Southern, 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 Georgia Southern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Southern | 986 to 1133 | 87.9% | This page |
| Georgia Tech | 1370 to 1540 | 14.1% | Harder to get into than Georgia SouthernSAT about 396 higher |
| Georgia | 1270 to 1480 | 37.7% | Harder to get into than Georgia SouthernSAT about 316 higher |
| West Georgia | 950 to 1140 | 51.6% | Harder to get into than Georgia Southernsimilar SAT range |
| Georgia State | 940 to 1180 | 55.4% | Harder to get into than Georgia Southernsimilar SAT range |
| North Georgia | 980 to 1210 | 67.9% | Similar oddsSAT about 36 higher |
| Kennesaw State | 1000 to 1220 | 69.2% | Similar oddsSAT about 51 higher |
How Recent Are These Georgia Southern 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 Georgia Southern 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 Georgia Southern's own admissions site, where any change would appear first.
Georgia Southern SAT Scores and GPA: Frequently Asked Questions
What SAT score do you need to get into Georgia Southern?
Georgia Southern's middle 50 percent SAT range is 986 to 1133. Aim for at least 986 to be competitive, and 1133 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 986 a good SAT score for Georgia Southern?
A 986 sits at Georgia Southern's 25th percentile, the lower edge of its middle 50 percent range of 986 to 1133. It keeps you in range, but a score closer to 1133 makes your application stronger.
What is the average SAT score at Georgia Southern?
The average composite SAT score at Georgia Southern is 1053. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored between 986 and 1133.
Does Georgia Southern require SAT scores?
No. Georgia Southern 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 Georgia Southern test optional for 2026-2027?
Georgia Southern 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 Georgia Southern?
Georgia Southern's middle 50 percent ACT range is 18 to 23. Aim for at least 18 to be competitive and 23 or higher to be a strong applicant. A strong ACT can stand in for the SAT at Georgia Southern.
What GPA do you need to get into Georgia Southern?
Admitted students at Georgia Southern 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 Georgia Southern's acceptance rate?
Georgia Southern admits about 87.9% 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 Georgia Southern?
Georgia Southern admits about 87.9% of applicants, so your chances depend on where you sit against the admitted pool. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored 986 to 1133 on the SAT and admitted students typically carry an unweighted GPA around 3.0 to 3.5. A score above 1133 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 Georgia Southern's real numbers.
How can I raise my SAT score for Georgia Southern?
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 Georgia Southern superscore the SAT?
Superscore policies vary by school and change year to year, and Georgia Southern 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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