As of October 2026. Every number below is sourced; the list is at the end.
As of October 2026, Stanford requires an SAT or ACT score again. The middle half of enrolled first-years who submitted the SAT scored between 1510 and 1580; the middle half who submitted the ACT scored 34 to 35 (IPEDS, 2023). That same year Stanford admitted 3.9% of 53,733 applicants.
So 1510 is not a target. It is the bottom edge of the middle.
The number in your head is doing the wrong job
Most parents come to me with a score they believe flips a switch. Clear it, and Stanford opens up. That is roughly how the rest of college admissions feels, so it is a fair thing to believe. It is not how this school works. A quarter of those SAT submitters scored 1580 or higher, on a scale that stops at 1600. At that point the score has stopped telling anyone apart. Everyone still in the pile has one.
A strong score here is a door you have to walk through. It is not a seat at the table.
What those bands actually describe
| Test | Middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted | Share who submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT | 1510-1580 | 47% |
| ACT | 34-35 | 22% |
Read the header twice. Those are enrolled students, not admitted students and not applicants (IPEDS, 2023). And that was a year when sending a score was still a choice. Stanford is one of 23 well-known colleges that brought a testing requirement back after studying their own test-optional results.
Grades sit in the same spot. The average unweighted GPA of Stanford's enrolled first-years was 3.94 on a 4.0 scale (Common Data Set 2024-25). That is close to straight A's with no weighting to help it. A high score does not patch a transcript, and a good transcript does not excuse a low score. Both lines are read.
What prep can honestly move
Our students who start at 1350 or above gain 120 points on average, so a 1400 becomes a 1520. On the ACT, students who start at 28 or above gain 3.4 points, so a 30 becomes a 34 and the 94th percentile becomes the 99th. Those are averages from our own students, and they are earned by work: 6 to 12 weeks, a two-hour session each week, and at least five full-length practice exams before test day.
A 1520 sits inside Stanford's band. It does not make Stanford likely. With a 3.9% admit rate, no score makes Stanford likely. What it does is take away the one reason a reader could set the file down early.
Let me be plain about the rest, because I do not do admissions consulting and this is a tip rather than anything I sell. The score is the only part of this application that answers to a calendar. Your kid can raise it on purpose, in a known number of weeks, by doing known work. The essays, the activities, the luck of a given year do not behave that way. Put the effort where effort pays.
And prepare for the whole SAT or ACT every sitting. Never one section at a time.
The move
Decide between the SAT and the ACT before any tutoring starts. Have your kid sit one real timed SAT and one real timed ACT this month, both scored, side by side, because most students are clearly better on one of the two and that gap matters more than the first month of prep. Both mock exams are free at prepgurus.com/frequently-asked-questions, or call 949.229.5359 and we will set them up.
Questions parents ask
Does Stanford require the SAT or ACT for fall 2026 applicants?
Yes. As of October 2026 Stanford requires an SAT or ACT score, and it is one of 23 well-known colleges that reinstated a testing requirement after studying their own test-optional results.
Is a 1510 good enough for Stanford?
A 1510 is the bottom edge of the middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted the SAT, which ran 1510 to 1580 (IPEDS, 2023). It keeps the application in the conversation; with a 3.9% admit rate it does not make admission likely.
What GPA does Stanford expect alongside the score?
The average unweighted GPA of Stanford's enrolled first-years was 3.94 on a 4.0 scale (Common Data Set 2024-25). A strong score does not make up for a weaker transcript.
Written by Nick Standlea, founder of Test Prep Gurus. Updated October 2026.
Sources
- Stanford University on UC Reach Index (IPEDS 2023 admit rate, applicants, SAT and ACT bands, submission shares) — https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/stanford-university
- Stanford University Common Data Set 2024-25, Section C11/C12 (average unweighted GPA of enrolled first-years), Stanford Institutional Research & Decision Support — https://irds.stanford.edu/data-findings/cds
- Reach Index research, Do test scores still matter (colleges that reinstated a testing requirement) — https://highschoolreach.com/research/do-test-scores-still-matter
- Test Prep Gurus results (average score gains by starting score) — https://www.prepgurus.com/results-at-test-prep-gurus
- Test Prep Gurus FAQ (free diagnostic SAT and ACT, program structure) — https://www.prepgurus.com/frequently-asked-questions
- SAT structure and score scale, College Board — https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/whats-on-the-test/structure