9 California schools with published score bands, from the U.S. Department of Education — highest band first.
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Among California colleges in the federal dataset, Stanford University has the highest enrolled-student SAT band at 1510–1580. The table below lists 9 California schools' middle-50% SAT and ACT ranges, highest first — each links to a page on setting a target for that school. Every figure is the enrolled middle 50% from College Scorecard, retrieved 2026-09-01.
| School | SAT (mid 50%) | ACT | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | 1510–1580 | 34–35 | 8k |
| University of Southern California | 1450–1550 | 32–35 | 20k |
| Santa Clara University | 1350–1490 | 31–33 | 7k |
| Chapman University | 1260–1440 | 28–31 | 7k |
| Loyola Marymount University | 1260–1430 | 28–32 | 7k |
| University of San Francisco | 1190–1390 | 25–30 | 5k |
| University of California-Los Angeles | — | — | 33k |
| University of California-Berkeley | — | — | 33k |
| California Institute of Technology | — | — | 1k |
A quarter of enrolled students scored below the band and a quarter above it. It describes who enrolled — not a cutoff, and not who was admitted.
Pick a school for the full picture — the section split, what the band means for a target, and where the figure comes from. Or browse every state.
Free SAT practice with an explanation on every question, and a score estimate that tracks your distance to the band you pick.
In the federal dataset, Stanford University — an enrolled middle 50% of 1510–1580. Bands describe enrolled students, not cutoffs.
It spans the table above — from — to 1510–1580 across 9 schools. Pick the schools you mean and aim at the upper half of their bands.
The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (IPEDS), retrieved 2026-09-01. Each school's own page links its federal profile.