New Jersey SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
By the Cheetah Prep team · Reviewed July 14, 2026
SAT middle 50 percent
1210 to 1460
Half of enrolled students at New Jersey scored in this range on the SAT. One quarter scored above 1460, and one quarter below 1210.
- Average composite
- 1337
- Acceptance rate
- 65.1%
- ACT range
- 27 to 34
- Test policy
- Test optional
- Location
- Newark, NJ
- Undergraduates
- 9,019
New Jersey SAT Scores and Admissions
Math carries more weight than reading at NJIT: the Math middle 50 runs 610 to 750, while Reading and Writing sits at 600 to 710. If you are comparing New Jersey SAT scores across campuses, that gap of 40 points at the top end tells you what this school rewards. The average composite lands at 1337, and the full middle 50 spans 1210 to 1460 based on 2024 to 2025 data.
NJIT is a public university in Newark, NJ with 9,019 students, small enough that admissions reads each score in context rather than as a line in a massive pool. The admission rate is 65.1%, so roughly 2 out of 3 applicants get in. Put another way, out of every 100 students who apply, about 65 receive an offer. That number can make the school look easy to crack. The score ranges say otherwise: a 1460 at the 75th percentile is real competition, and the students who enroll bring numbers that would hold up at far more selective campuses.
Testing is optional in the most recent federal cycle, and that changes your strategy. Students who send scores tend to send good ones, so the published ranges skew high. If your score lands inside the middle 50, submit it. If it lands below 1210, prep until it does not, or apply without it and let the rest of the file carry the load.
Cheetah Prep
Achieve your dream SAT score before it's too late.
Start using Cheetah Prep by hitting the button below. Here is what you get from the first session:
- Adaptive practice that finds your weak spots and trains them with real SAT questions
- A diagnostic that predicts your SAT score out of 1600 in just 20 questions
- The Solve the SAT with Desmos course: 31 interactive lessons
- A study plan built around the score New Jersey expects
- Start with our free trial
New Jersey SAT Score Breakdown by Section
Here is the section by section SAT profile of enrolled students at New Jersey, from the federal College Scorecard.
| Section | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 600 | 710 |
| Math | 610 | 750 |
| CompositeTotal SAT | 1210 | 1460 |
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
1210 to 1460
New Jersey Admissions Calculator: What Are Your Chances?
Enter your SAT score and unweighted GPA for an honest read on your chances of getting into New Jersey, 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 New Jersey'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 New Jersey by SAT Score
Here is what specific scores mean at New Jersey, based on its reported 1210 to 1460 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1060 | Well below the 25th percentile | A 1060 is well below the 1210 to 1460 range at New Jersey. On testing alone this score does not keep the application in contention, so raising it is the priority. |
| 1160 | Just below the 25th percentile | A 1160 falls just short of New Jersey's 25th percentile of 1210. Some students get in below the range, but they usually bring something exceptional elsewhere in the application. |
| 1340 | Inside the middle 50 percent | A 1340 sits inside the 1210 to 1460 range, matching the profile of enrolled students. This is a competitive score here. |
| 1460 | At the 75th percentile | A 1460 matches the 75th percentile at New Jersey, stronger than about 3 out of 4 enrolled students. Testing is a clear strength at this level. |
| 1490 | Above the 75th percentile | A 1490 beats the 75th percentile at New Jersey. The score is doing all it can; nothing more is gained by retaking. |
How to Raise Your SAT Score to New Jersey's Range
The two targets that matter here are 1210, the score that puts you inside the admitted range, and 1460, 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 1210 | To reach 1460 | The plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | +210 points | +460 points | All score plans |
| 1100 | +110 points | +360 points | All score plans |
| 1200 | +10 points | +260 points | 1200 to 1500 plan |
| 1300 | Already there | +160 points | 1300 to 1500 plan |
| 1400 | Already there | +60 points | 1400 to 1500 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 New Jersey?
Below 1210 means the bottom quarter of admitted students, and at a school that admits 65.1% of applicants, a score down there puts the pressure on everything else in your application. Inside the 1210 to 1460 range, you match half of the incoming class and your file gets judged on grades and activities instead of a score deficit. Above 1460, you outscore 3 out of 4 admitted students, which matters at a technical school where numbers get noticed. Think about what those quartiles mean on a campus of 9,019: thousands of current students cleared 1210, and a quarter of them beat 1460.
The section splits set different bars. Math demands 610 just to reach the 25th percentile and 750 to hit the 75th. Reading and Writing asks less: 600 to 710. Plan your prep accordingly. A 700 in Math keeps you in the middle of the pack here. A 700 in Reading and Writing puts you near the top. For ACT takers, the middle 50 runs 27 to 34, the same story on a different scale.
New Jersey GPA Requirements
Admitted students at NJIT typically show an unweighted GPA around 3.3 to 3.7. That band is wide on purpose. A 3.4 built on AP Calculus and honors physics reads very differently from a 3.6 built on the lightest schedule available. Rigor counts as much as the number itself, and admissions officers know the difference. At a technical school, the math and science lines on your transcript get the closest read, because they predict how you will handle the coursework once you arrive.
If your GPA sits near the bottom of that band, the fastest offset is a strong SAT. Transcripts take years to change. A score does not. A few months of focused prep can move a composite in a way that no amount of senior year effort can move a cumulative GPA. Pushing past 1337, the NJIT average, gives the file a second data point that argues in your favor. Pair a 3.3 with a 1400 and the conversation changes. The score says the grades undersell you, and readers act on that signal.
Typical admitted GPA
Admitted students at New Jersey typically present a GPA in the 3.3 to 3.7 range on an unweighted 4.0 scale. Solid grades with a clear upward trend read well, especially paired with a strong test score.
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.
New Jersey SAT Testing Policy
New Jersey 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 1335, the middle of New Jersey's range. If you are below 1210, 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey 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.
1340+
Submit
At or above the middle of the admitted range, submitting clearly helps. A real data point beats an open question.
1210 to 1340
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 1210
Usually hold it
Below the 25th percentile the score rarely helps at New Jersey. 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 New Jersey's own site, where any mid cycle change would appear first.
New Jersey ACT Scores: Should You Take the SAT or ACT?
The middle 50 percent of enrolled students at New Jersey scored between 27 and 34 on the ACT, alongside the 1210 to 1460 SAT range. Like nearly every US college, New Jersey 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 |
|---|---|
| 34 | 1490 to 1520 |
| 33 | 1450 to 1480 |
| 32 | 1420 to 1440 |
| 31 | 1390 to 1410 |
| 30 | 1360 to 1380 |
| 29 | 1330 to 1350 |
| 28 | 1300 to 1320 |
| 27 | 1260 to 1290 |
| 26 | 1230 to 1250 |
SAT equivalents from the official College Board and ACT concordance tables. Highlighted rows fall inside New Jersey's ACT middle 50 percent.
How to Get Into New Jersey
Set two targets. A 1210, the 25th percentile, keeps you inside the range and out of the bottom quarter. A 1460, the 75th, puts you in the top quarter of admitted students, which is where you want to be if your GPA runs closer to 3.3 than 3.7. Between those two poles, aim to beat the 1337 average, with extra points banked in Math, since NJIT's Math bar sits 40 points above its Reading and Writing bar at the 75th percentile: 750 against 710.
Because testing is optional here, a score below 1210 is not worth submitting. That makes the plan simple. Either prep until the number helps you, or spend those hours on the parts of the application you will definitely send. For most students, prep is the better bet, because a score is the fastest thing in the file to improve.
Work backward from your deadline. Our score plans break a target like 1460 into weekly practice blocks so the goal stops feeling abstract. Before any of that, take the diagnostic to find out where you actually stand, because guessing your baseline wastes weeks. Take it this week, then build from the real number.
How Hard Is It to Get Into New Jersey?
New Jersey admits about 651 of every 1,000 applicants, and enrolls an undergraduate class of about 9,019. That ratio, not any single cutoff, is what makes the admitted profile look the way it does: when a school turns away 349 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: New Jersey's 25th percentile score of 1210 already beats roughly 75% of all SAT takers nationally, and its 75th percentile of 1460 sits around the 96th 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 New Jersey: Reach, Match, and Safety Options
Real reported ranges from schools students often consider alongside New Jersey, 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 New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1210 to 1460 | 65.1% | This page |
| Princeton | 1510 to 1580 | 4.6% | Harder to get into than New JerseySAT about 210 higher |
| Rutgers | 1310 to 1500 | 58.1% | Similar oddsSAT about 70 higher |
| Fordham | 1320 to 1480 | 59.3% | Similar oddsSAT about 65 higher |
| Ohio State | 1310 to 1480 | 60.6% | Similar oddsSAT about 60 higher |
| Maryland Baltimore County | 1240 to 1420 | 72.4% | Similar oddssimilar SAT range |
| Kean | 930 to 1150 | 75.9% | Similar oddsSAT about 295 lower |
How Recent Are These New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey's own admissions site, where any change would appear first.
New Jersey SAT Scores and GPA: Frequently Asked Questions
What SAT score do you need to get into New Jersey?
New Jersey's middle 50 percent SAT range is 1210 to 1460. Aim for at least 1210 to be competitive, and 1460 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 1210 a good SAT score for New Jersey?
A 1210 sits at New Jersey's 25th percentile, the lower edge of its middle 50 percent range of 1210 to 1460. It keeps you in range, but a score closer to 1460 makes your application stronger.
What is the average SAT score at New Jersey?
The average composite SAT score at New Jersey is 1337. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored between 1210 and 1460.
Does New Jersey require SAT scores?
No. New Jersey 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 New Jersey test optional for 2026-2027?
New Jersey 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey's middle 50 percent ACT range is 27 to 34. Aim for at least 27 to be competitive and 34 or higher to be a strong applicant. A strong ACT can stand in for the SAT at New Jersey.
What GPA do you need to get into New Jersey?
Admitted students at New Jersey typically present an unweighted GPA in the 3.3 to 3.7 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 New Jersey's acceptance rate?
New Jersey admits about 65.1% of applicants, which makes it moderately 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey admits about 65.1% of applicants, so your chances depend on where you sit against the admitted pool. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored 1210 to 1460 on the SAT and admitted students typically carry an unweighted GPA around 3.3 to 3.7. A score above 1460 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 New Jersey's real numbers.
How can I raise my SAT score for New Jersey?
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 New Jersey superscore the SAT?
Superscore policies vary by school and change year to year, and New Jersey 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.
Related guides
Columbia University in the City of New York SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
Columbia University in the City of New York SAT middle 50 percent: 1510 to 1580. About 4% get in. See 2026 score and GPA requirements, where your score stands, and.
CUNY New York City College of Technology SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
CUNY New York City College of Technology SAT middle 50 percent: 900 to 1140. About 80.3% get in. See 2026 score and GPA requirements, where your score stands, and.
New Mexico State SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
New Mexico State SAT middle 50 percent: 870 to 1110. About 89% get in. See 2026 score and GPA requirements, where your score stands, and how to close the gap.
St. John's University New York SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
St. John's University New York SAT middle 50 percent: 1150 to 1340. About 83.4% get in. See 2026 score and GPA requirements, where your score stands, and how to.
New Hampshire SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
New Hampshire SAT middle 50 percent: 1090 to 1330. About 88.2% get in. See 2026 score and GPA requirements, where your score stands, and how to close the gap.
New Mexico SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
New Mexico SAT middle 50 percent: 890 to 1170. About 95.2% get in. See 2026 score and GPA requirements, where your score stands, and how to close the gap.