Montana State SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)

Montana State University is a public university in Bozeman, MT, with 14,451 students, and Montana State SAT scores tell a straightforward story about who gets in. The middle 50 of enrolled students scored between 1065 and 1285 on the SAT in the 2024-2025 cycle, and the average landed at 1183. That range is wide enough that solid but not spectacular scores fit comfortably inside it. A 220 point spread between the 25th and 75th percentiles means students arrive here with very different testing profiles, and the school admits across that whole span.

Admissions here are open by design. Montana State admits 82.1% of applicants, so roughly 4 out of 5 students who apply get an offer. Put another way, out of every 100 applications, about 82 come back with a yes. That changes what your score has to do. It does not need to win you a seat; it needs to make your file stronger once you are in the pool. Testing is optional in the most recent federal data, which means you decide whether your score goes in at all. On the ACT, the middle 50 runs from 21 to 27. If your SAT sits near or above 1183, submitting it strengthens an application to a school where the numbers already lean in your favor.

The middle 50 for Montana State runs from 1065 to 1285. Score below 1065 and you are behind 3 out of 4 enrolled students; with an 82.1% admission rate you can still get in, but since testing is optional, a score down there may be worth leaving out of the application entirely. Land inside the range and your score is unremarkable in the best sense: it neither helps much nor hurts. Clear 1285 and you outscore the top quarter of the class, which makes submitting an easy call.

The optional policy cuts both ways. It protects a weak score, but it also means the scores that do get reported skew toward students who tested well, so the published range likely sits a bit above what a mandatory policy would show. Treat 1065 as a real bar, not a soft one.

The section splits are close but not identical. Reading and Writing runs 540 to 645 while Math runs 525 to 640, so the verbal side sets a bar about 15 points higher at the 25th percentile. Do not let a strong Math score hide a weak verbal one.

Admitted students at Montana State typically present an unweighted GPA around 3.0 to 3.5. That band leaves room for a rough semester or two, but it still assumes mostly B grades or better across your transcript. At a school that admits 82.1% of applicants, the GPA check is less a gate and more a signal that you can handle college coursework.

The number alone is not the whole picture. Grades earned in rigorous courses count as much as the GPA itself, so a 3.2 built on honors and AP classes reads stronger than a 3.4 in the lightest schedule your school offers. Admissions readers see your school profile next to your transcript, and they know the difference.

If your GPA sits at the lower edge of that band, a strong SAT is the fastest offset. Grades take semesters to move; a score can move in months. Pushing past 1285, the 75th percentile here, gives an admissions reader a concrete reason to look past the transcript, and because testing is optional, you only submit the score once it actually helps you.

Set two anchors. At or above 1065, the 25th percentile, keeps you in range for Montana State. At or above 1285 puts you in the top quarter of enrolled students and makes your score a genuine asset rather than a checkbox. Per section, that means clearing 540 in Reading and Writing and 525 in Math at minimum, and aiming for 645 and 640 if you want top quarter numbers on both sides.

The gap between those anchors is 220 points, so pick the one that fits your timeline. If you are months out from applying, aim at 1285 and let 1065 be the floor you never think about. If the deadline is close, lock down 1065 first, then push each section up 20 or 30 points at a time. And because Montana State is test optional, there is a third path built in: if practice tests keep landing under 1065, you can hold the score back and let the rest of your application speak.

Our score plans break targets like these into week by week practice, so you are not guessing at what to study. Before any of that, find out where you actually stand: take a 20 question diagnostic today and measure your gap to 1065 in about half an hour.