Seattle SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)

Seattle University sits in the heart of Seattle, Washington, a private nonprofit university with about 4,062 students on campus. If you are checking Seattle SAT scores before you apply, the number to hold in your head is the middle 50 percent range: 1200 to 1430. That band shows where half of admitted students landed. One in four came in below 1200, and one in four scored above 1430. The average sits at 1307, in the lower middle of that range.

The admit rate here is 76.9%, so this is a school that says yes to more than 3 out of 4 applicants. That takes some of the pressure off any single number, but it does not mean scores get ignored. A result inside or above the middle 50 still helps you stand out in a large pool, and it gives the reader one more clear reason to move your file toward the yes stack. In the most recent federal data, Seattle University is test optional, so you can decide whether to send scores at all. If yours land near or above 1430, sending them works in your favor. If they sit below the range, you can weigh leaving them off and leaning on the rest of your application instead.

Here is how to read your score against the 1200 to 1430 band. Below 1200 puts you in the bottom 25 percent of admitted students, which is not a closed door at a school with a 76.9% admit rate, but it does lean more on your grades and the rest of your file. Inside the band, roughly 1200 to 1430, puts you right in the mix with the middle half. Above 1430 puts you in the top 25 percent and gives you real room to stand out.

The section splits show where the bar sits. Reading and Writing runs 620 to 710, and Math runs 580 to 720. Reading and Writing sets the higher floor, since its 25th percentile of 620 is 40 points above Math's 580. Math has the higher ceiling, with a 75th percentile of 720. Practically, that means you cannot lean only on one section. A balanced score across both is what keeps you inside the range.

Admitted students at Seattle University typically show up with an unweighted GPA in the 3.0 to 3.5 band. That is a workable target for a school that admits 76.9% of applicants. You do not need a perfect transcript. You do need a steady one that shows you can carry a normal course load and finish strong.

Grades matter, but so does where those grades came from. A B earned in an honors or AP class carries as much weight as an A in an easier section, sometimes more, because it shows you took on harder work and held your own. Admissions readers look at the shape of your schedule, not just the final number. If your GPA sits at the lower edge of the 3.0 to 3.5 band, a strong SAT is the fastest way to offset it. A score near or above the 1200 to 1430 range gives the reader a second data point that backs up your classroom work and steadies a transcript that dipped somewhere along the way.

Set your targets against the two ends of the band. Hitting at or above the 25th percentile, so 1200 total, keeps you in range with the middle half of admitted students. Aiming at or above the 75th percentile, so 1430, puts you in the top quarter and makes sending your score an easy call. By section, aim for at least 620 on Reading and Writing and 580 on Math to clear both floors, and push toward 710 and 720 to reach the top end.

Start by finding out where you stand today. A short diagnostic shows your current Reading and Writing and Math numbers, so you know how far you sit from 1200 or 1430. From there, our score plans map the practice that closes the specific gap between your starting point and your target. Your next step is simple: take the diagnostic this week, note your two section scores, and set a goal number for each. That gives you a clear line to work toward before you apply to Seattle University.