Old Dominion SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)
By the Cheetah Prep team · Reviewed July 14, 2026
SAT middle 50 percent
1100 to 1280
Half of enrolled students at Old Dominion scored in this range on the SAT. One quarter scored above 1280, and one quarter below 1100.
- Average composite
- 1197
- Acceptance rate
- 90.4%
- ACT range
- 24 to 29
- Test policy
- Test optional
- Location
- Norfolk, VA
- Undergraduates
- 17,514
Old Dominion SAT Scores and Admissions
The middle 50 for Old Dominion SAT scores runs from 1100 to 1280, with admitted students averaging 1197. Land anywhere in that window and your score looks like most of the students Norfolk's public university actually enrolls. The admission rate in the 2024 to 2025 data was 90.4%, which means roughly 9 out of 10 applicants got in. Put another way, in a room of 100 applicants, about 90 walk out with an offer. A score in range is less a hurdle and more a confirmation that you fit the class.
Old Dominion University enrolls 17,514 students, big enough that the admitted class covers a wide spread of scores. The section splits show where that spread sits. Reading and Writing runs 570 to 650. Math runs 530 to 630. The floors and ceilings differ by 40 points on both ends, so the verbal side sets the higher bar. Students who submit an ACT instead land between 24 and 29 in the middle half.
ODU is test optional in the most recent federal data, and that policy changes the math of applying. A submitted score is a choice, not a requirement. The only reason to send one is that it helps you, which turns score prep into a way to add strength rather than a way to patch weakness.
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Old Dominion SAT Score Breakdown by Section
Here is the section by section SAT profile of enrolled students at Old Dominion, from the federal College Scorecard.
| Section | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 570 | 650 |
| Math | 530 | 630 |
| CompositeTotal SAT | 1100 | 1280 |
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
1100 to 1280
Old Dominion Admissions Calculator: What Are Your Chances?
Enter your SAT score and unweighted GPA for an honest read on your chances of getting into Old Dominion, 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 Old Dominion'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 Old Dominion by SAT Score
Here is what specific scores mean at Old Dominion, based on its reported 1100 to 1280 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 950 | Well below the 25th percentile | A 950 is well below the 1100 to 1280 range at Old Dominion. On testing alone this score does not keep the application in contention, so raising it is the priority. |
| 1050 | Just below the 25th percentile | A 1050 falls just short of Old Dominion's 25th percentile of 1100. Some students get in below the range, but they usually bring something exceptional elsewhere in the application. |
| 1190 | Inside the middle 50 percent | A 1190 sits inside the 1100 to 1280 range, matching the profile of enrolled students. This is a competitive score here. |
| 1280 | At the 75th percentile | A 1280 matches the 75th percentile at Old Dominion, stronger than about 3 out of 4 enrolled students. Testing is a clear strength at this level. |
| 1310 | Above the 75th percentile | A 1310 beats the 75th percentile at Old Dominion. The score is doing all it can; nothing more is gained by retaking. |
How to Raise Your SAT Score to Old Dominion's Range
The two targets that matter here are 1100, the score that puts you inside the admitted range, and 1280, 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 1100 | To reach 1280 | The plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | +100 points | +280 points | 1000 to 1300 plan |
| 1100 | Already there | +180 points | 1100 to 1300 plan |
| 1200 | Already there | +80 points | 1200 to 1300 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 Old Dominion?
Read the 1100 to 1280 range in 3 slices. Below 1100 puts you under the bottom quarter of admitted students. At a school admitting 90.4% of applicants, that rarely sinks you on its own, but under a test optional policy you are usually better off withholding the score than sending it. Silence costs nothing here; a weak number can only pull the file down. Inside the range, you match the middle half of the class, and the closer you sit to the 1197 average, the more your score simply confirms fit. Above 1280 puts you past 3 out of 4 admitted students, which strengthens merit aid and honors cases even where admission itself is already likely.
Section by section, Reading and Writing sets the higher bar. Its floor of 570 tops the Math floor of 530 by 40 points, and the same gap holds at the top, 650 against 630. If your verbal score lags your math score, that is the gap ODU's numbers will expose first. Balance matters less than clearing the verbal floor.
Old Dominion GPA Requirements
Admitted students at Old Dominion typically carry an unweighted GPA somewhere around 3.0 to 3.5. That is a wide band, and it reflects a school admitting 90.4% of applicants: the bar rewards steady work more than perfection. A 3.2 earned in honors and AP courses reads stronger than a 3.5 built on the lightest schedule available, because the rigor behind the number counts as much as the number itself. Admissions readers see the full transcript, not just the average, and they know which classes at your school were the hard ones.
If your GPA sits near the bottom of that band, the fastest fix is not retaking old classes. Grades took 4 years to build and cannot move much now. A strong SAT can. A score at or above 1280 can be built in a few months of focused work, and it lands you above 3 out of 4 admitted students. Since ODU is test optional, this play carries no downside: submit the score if it works in your favor, hold it back if it does not. Your GPA stays fixed either way, but the test gives you one number you can still change.
Typical admitted GPA
Admitted students at Old Dominion 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.
Old Dominion SAT Testing Policy
Old Dominion 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 1190, the middle of Old Dominion's range. If you are below 1100, 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 Old Dominion?
Old Dominion 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.
1190+
Submit
At or above the middle of the admitted range, submitting clearly helps. A real data point beats an open question.
1100 to 1190
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 1100
Usually hold it
Below the 25th percentile the score rarely helps at Old Dominion. 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 Old Dominion's own site, where any mid cycle change would appear first.
Old Dominion ACT Scores: Should You Take the SAT or ACT?
The middle 50 percent of enrolled students at Old Dominion scored between 24 and 29 on the ACT, alongside the 1100 to 1280 SAT range. Like nearly every US college, Old Dominion 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 |
|---|---|
| 29 | 1330 to 1350 |
| 28 | 1300 to 1320 |
| 27 | 1260 to 1290 |
| 26 | 1230 to 1250 |
| 25 | 1200 to 1220 |
| 24 | 1160 to 1190 |
| 23 | 1130 to 1150 |
SAT equivalents from the official College Board and ACT concordance tables. Highlighted rows fall inside Old Dominion's ACT middle 50 percent.
How to Get Into Old Dominion
Set 2 targets. Hitting 1100, the 25th percentile, keeps you inside the range worth submitting under ODU's test optional policy. Hitting 1280, the 75th percentile, places you in the top quarter of admitted students, which matters most when scholarships enter the picture. Per section, that means clearing 570 in Reading and Writing and 530 in Math at minimum, then pushing toward 650 and 630 if you want top quarter numbers on both sides. The 180 points between the 2 targets sound like a lot, but they break down into section goals you can chase one at a time.
Work backward from where you stand now. Our score plans map out how many points a given number of study weeks typically buys, so you can match the target to your calendar instead of guessing. Start by taking the diagnostic to get your current score, then measure the gap to 1100 and to 1280 and pick the target your timeline supports. Take it this week so every study hour after it counts toward a real number.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Old Dominion?
Old Dominion admits about 904 of every 1,000 applicants, and enrolls an undergraduate class of about 17,514. That ratio, not any single cutoff, is what makes the admitted profile look the way it does: when a school turns away 96 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: Old Dominion's 25th percentile score of 1100 already beats roughly 58% of all SAT takers nationally, and its 75th percentile of 1280 sits around the 84th 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 Old Dominion: Reach, Match, and Safety Options
Real reported ranges from schools students often consider alongside Old Dominion, 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 Old Dominion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion | 1100 to 1280 | 90.4% | This page |
| Regent | 990 to 1250 | 38.1% | Harder to get into than Old DominionSAT about 70 lower |
| Virginia Tech | 1280 to 1450 | 54.8% | Harder to get into than Old DominionSAT about 175 higher |
| Virginia Military Institute | 1050 to 1270 | 71.3% | Similar oddsSAT about 30 lower |
| James Madison | 1170 to 1340 | 71.5% | Similar oddsSAT about 65 higher |
| Mary Washington | 1170 to 1370 | 79.8% | Similar oddsSAT about 80 higher |
| Christopher Newport | 1060 to 1290 | 86.0% | Similar oddsSAT about 15 lower |
How Recent Are These Old Dominion 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 Old Dominion 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 Old Dominion's own admissions site, where any change would appear first.
Old Dominion SAT Scores and GPA: Frequently Asked Questions
What SAT score do you need to get into Old Dominion?
Old Dominion's middle 50 percent SAT range is 1100 to 1280. Aim for at least 1100 to be competitive, and 1280 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 1100 a good SAT score for Old Dominion?
A 1100 sits at Old Dominion's 25th percentile, the lower edge of its middle 50 percent range of 1100 to 1280. It keeps you in range, but a score closer to 1280 makes your application stronger.
What is the average SAT score at Old Dominion?
The average composite SAT score at Old Dominion is 1197. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored between 1100 and 1280.
Does Old Dominion require SAT scores?
No. Old Dominion 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 Old Dominion test optional for 2026-2027?
Old Dominion 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 Old Dominion?
Old Dominion's middle 50 percent ACT range is 24 to 29. Aim for at least 24 to be competitive and 29 or higher to be a strong applicant. A strong ACT can stand in for the SAT at Old Dominion.
What GPA do you need to get into Old Dominion?
Admitted students at Old Dominion 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 Old Dominion's acceptance rate?
Old Dominion admits about 90.4% 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 Old Dominion?
Old Dominion admits about 90.4% of applicants, so your chances depend on where you sit against the admitted pool. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students scored 1100 to 1280 on the SAT and admitted students typically carry an unweighted GPA around 3.0 to 3.5. A score above 1280 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 Old Dominion's real numbers.
How can I raise my SAT score for Old Dominion?
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 Old Dominion superscore the SAT?
Superscore policies vary by school and change year to year, and Old Dominion 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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