Ithaca SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)

About 69 of every 100 applicants get into Ithaca College, an admission rate of 69.0% in the most recent federal data. That context matters when you look at Ithaca SAT scores: the middle 50% of enrolled students landed between 1230 and 1390, with an average of 1312. So while most applicants who apply are admitted, the students who actually show up on campus in Ithaca, NY tend to score well above the national average. A 1230 puts you at the 25th percentile of this class. A 1390 puts you at the 75th.

Ithaca is a private nonprofit university with 4,242 undergraduates, small enough that admissions can read applications closely rather than filter by a hard cutoff. The school is test optional for the 2024-2025 cycle per the most recent federal data, which means the 1230 to 1390 range reflects students who chose to submit. On the section level, Reading and Writing runs 630 to 710 while Math runs 600 to 680, a 30 point gap at both ends of the range. If your verbal score is your stronger side, that lines up well with what enrolled students bring. ACT submitters landed between 27 and 30.

Read your own score against the 1230 to 1390 range in 3 zones. Below 1230, you are under the 25th percentile of enrolled students. Because Ithaca is test optional, a score down here is usually one to withhold: your GPA and coursework would carry the application instead. Inside the range, from 1230 to 1390, you look like a typical Ithaca student, and the closer you sit to the 1312 average, the more your score simply confirms fit. Above 1390, you are in the top quarter of the class, and submitting is an easy call.

The section splits tell you where the bar actually sits. Reading and Writing at 630 to 710 sets a higher standard than Math at 600 to 680. A 650 in Math clears the middle of that section's range; the same 650 in Reading and Writing is only 20 points above its floor. Check your section scores separately, not just the 1600 scale total, before deciding what to submit.

Admitted students at Ithaca College typically present an unweighted GPA somewhere around 3.3 to 3.7. That band tracks with a school admitting 69.0% of applicants: you do not need a flawless transcript, but a record of mostly A's and B's is the norm among students who enroll. Where your GPA sits inside that band matters less than what produced it.

Rigor counts as much as the number itself. A 3.4 earned in honors and AP courses reads stronger than a 3.7 built on the easiest available schedule, and admissions offices at private schools of this size have the time to notice the difference. If your GPA sits at the lower edge of the band, the fastest offset is a strong SAT. Transcript grades take semesters to move. A test score can move in weeks, and a submitted score above Ithaca's 1312 average gives a reader a concrete reason to look past a slower start on your transcript.

Set 2 concrete targets. First, 1230 or higher keeps you inside the range of enrolled Ithaca students, which makes submitting a score worthwhile at a test optional school. Second, 1390 or higher puts you in the top quarter of the class, where a score actively argues for you and can help with merit consideration. By section, that means aiming for at least 630 in Reading and Writing and 600 in Math to match the 25th percentile floors.

Work backward from the gap. If you are at 1150 now, that is an 80 point climb to the floor and a 240 point climb to the top quarter, and those are 2 very different study calendars. Our score plans map out realistic point gains against the time you have before your test date. If you have not tested recently, take a diagnostic first so the plan starts from a real number instead of a guess. Next step: get a current score today, then set your target at 1230 or 1390 and count the points between.