If you have taken the ACT multiple times, then you might have been wondering which colleges superscore the ACT.
Superscoring is simply the process of picking only the best subject scores from all your ACT attempts.
Some students prefer superscoring their score because it allows them to put their best foot forward and score higher on the ACT.
If you are still unfamiliar with superscoring, then you might want to read further.
Table of Contents
How to find your superscore?
To help you calculate your superscore, we have provided an example below.
Suppose that you took the ACT thrice and your score are as follows
| Test Date | English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite Score |
| April | 24 | 20 | 26 | 21 | 23 |
| June | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| September | 23 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
Rather than using your composite score for September (since it is the highest one you got), you would instead use the best scores you have for each subject.
The ones highlighted in red are your best scores for each subject and these are the ones you would be using to solve for your superscore
- Add all your best scores for each subject 24 (English) + 24 (Math) + Reading (26) + Science (24) = 98
- Divide the sum of all your best scores by 4: 98/4 = 24.5
- Round it to the nearest whole number 24.5 = 25
- Your superscore is 25
Your ACT score would now look like this instead
| Test Date | English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite Score |
| COMBINED | 24 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 25 |
Should I include my writing score as well?
No, since the writing score is not included in your composite score anyway, you do not have to include it in your superscore.
Just keep in mind that even though the writing test is optional, some colleges require applicants to take it.
What are the benefits of superscoring?
Given that superscoring is a fair and valid practice, the ACT has encouraged colleges and universities to welcome superscoring as part of their score-use policy.
Superscoring is beneficial for the students because it allows them to showcase their best scores in the application process.
Since your ACT score range is a great determinant for college admissions, superscoring would give you a better chance of getting admitted into college and even securing a slot in several scholarship programs.
Can superscores be trusted?
Some argued that superscoring could sometimes overstate and oversell students’ skills and capabilities.
However, according to research conducted by ACT, super scores are in fact better at predicting your success in college than your composite score. 12.
Since superscoring would require you to take the ACT a couple of times, this, in turn, would reflect on how motivated and determined you are.
Based on the study made by ACT, students who are willing to sacrifice multiple Saturdays just to take the ACT are also the ones who are most likely to ask questions to their professors, take extra credit opportunities, and so on just to stay on top of their grade.
However, this does not necessarily mean that you should take the ACT several times. Admission counselors might doubt your seriousness for the exam if you unnecessarily retake it
Will taking the ACT multiple times hurt my college application?
Some students fear that retaking their ACT would hurt their chances of getting admitted into their school of choice.
But, based on data and admission counselors themselves, that is definitely not the case.
In fact, retaking the ACT has become a common practice over the years that several students have taken the ACT at least twice.
Admission counselors would not look down on you if you take the ACT a couple of times. You might even impress them since you show determination and perseverance when you retake the ACT.
And for some colleges, you do not have to submit all your ACT scores for when you take the exam. You can just submit the best one or better yet, a superscore for all your scores.
That being said, we suggest that you conduct some research, know what is a good ACT score, and familiarize yourself with the requirements of the schools you are planning to get into.
How many times can I take the ACT?
You can take the ACT up to 12 times.
However, this does not necessarily mean that you should max out your chances. For instance, if you took the exam more than 6 times, then admission counselors might do a double-take on your application.
Taking the exam twice or thrice is sometimes already enough and you can already see some great improvements in your score.
In fact, students almost always get a better score and have higher ACT percentiles the second time they took the exam.
As we mentioned before, you can always send your previous score in rare cases that you got a lower score on your second try.
Do not be discourage to retake the exam because you can always choose which score you would prefer to send out to other schools or you can just superscore instead.
So before you relax and look at the best high school graduation gifts, we highly suggest you to retake the ACT if you think you can improve and get a higher score on the second one.
Because at the end of the day, admission counselors would initially assess you based on the highest ACT score you get and not how many times you took the exam.
To find out your score on the ACT, you can check out our article on the ACT score release dates.
Colleges that superscore the ACT
For easy reference, we have listed the colleges that superscore the ACT. The list is excerpted from the Compass Education Group website.
| Yeshiva University | California State University—Long Beach | Gonzaga University | New College of Florida | Stonehill College | University of Portland |
| Bennington College | California State University—Los Angeles | Goshen College | New York University | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | University of Puget Sound |
| Brown University | California State University—Monterey Bay | Goucher College | North Carolina State University—​Raleigh | SUNY—​Geneseo | University of Redlands |
| Duke University | Case Western Reserve University | Grinnell College | Northeastern University | Susquehanna University | University of Richmond |
| Occidental College | Centre College | Hamilton College | Northwestern University | Syracuse University | University of Rochester |
| Providence College | Claremont McKenna College | Hampden-​Sydney College | Oberlin College | Taylor University | University of San Francisco |
| Purdue University—​West Lafayette | Clark University | Hanover College | Ohio Wesleyan University | Temple University | University of South Florida |
| Rice University | Colby College | Harvey Mudd College | Pacific Lutheran University | Texas Christian University | University of St. Thomas (MN) |
| Swarthmore College | Colgate University | Haverford College | Pitzer College | Texas Lutheran University | University of Tennessee |
| University of Illinois—​Urbana-​Champaign | College of Charleston | Hendrix College | Point Loma Nazarene University | Thomas Aquinas College | University of the Pacific |
| University of Michigan—​Ann Arbor | College of St. Benedict | High Point University | Pomona College | Transylvania University | University of Tulsa |
| University of Virginia | College of the Holy Cross | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Presbyterian College (SC) | Trinity College (Hartford) | University of Vermont |
| Wake Forest University | College of Wooster | Hofstra University | Queens University of Charlotte | Trinity University | University of Washington |
| Abilene Christian University | Colorado School of Mines | Hollins University | Randolph-​Macon College | Tufts University | Ursinus College |
| Adelphi University | Colorado State University | Hope College | Rhode Island School of Design | Union College (Schenectady, NY) | Valparaiso University |
| Albion College | Columbia University | Humboldt State University | Rhodes College | United States Air Force Academy | Vanderbilt University |
| Allegheny College | Concordia College—​Moorhead | Illinois Institute of Technology | Rochester Institute of Technology | United States Coast Guard Academy | Vassar College |
| Amherst College | Connecticut College | Indiana University—​Bloomington | Samford University | United States Military Academy | Villanova University |
| Appalachian State University | Cooper Union | Ithaca College | San Diego State University | United States Naval Academy | Virginia Military Institute |
| Austin College | Cornell College | James Madison University | San Jose State University | University at Albany—​SUNY | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Babson College | Cornell University | Johns Hopkins University | Santa Clara University | University of Arkansas—​Fayetteville | Wabash College |
| Baldwin Wallace University | Creighton University | Kalamazoo College | Sarah Lawrence College | University of Chicago | Washington and Jefferson College |
| Bard College | CUNY—​Baruch College | Kenyon College | Scripps College | University of Colorado—​Boulder | Washington and Lee University |
| Barnard College | Davidson College | Knox College | Seattle University | University of Connecticut | Washington State University |
| Bates College | Denison University | Lafayette College | Seton Hall University | University of Dayton | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Baylor University | DePauw University | Lake Forest College | Sewanee—​University of the South | University of Delaware | Wesleyan University |
| Beloit College | Dickinson College | Lawrence University | Simmons College | University of Denver | Western Michigan University |
| Bentley University | Duquesne University | Lehigh University | Soka University of America | University of Georgia | Westmont College |
| Berea College | Earlham College | Lewis & Clark College | Southern Methodist University | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Wheaton College (IL) |
| Binghamton University—​SUNY | Elon University | Loyola University Chicago | Spelman College | University of Kentucky | Whitman College |
| Birmingham-​Southern College | Embry-​Riddle Aeronautical University | Loyola University Maryland | St. John Fisher College | University of La Verne | Willamette University |
| Boston College | Emerson College | Loyola University New Orleans | St. John’s College Annapolis | University of Mary Washington | Williams College |
| Boston University | Fairfield University | Macalester College | St. John’s University (NY) | University of Maryland—​College Park | Wofford College |
| Bowdoin College | Florida Institute of Technology | Marist College | St. Lawrence University | University of Massachusetts—​Amherst | Xavier University |
| Butler University | Florida State University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | St. Mary’s College (IN) | University of Miami | Yale University |
| California Lutheran University | Fordham University | Mercer University | St. Mary’s College of California | University of North Carolina—​Chapel Hill | |
| California Polytechnic State University—​San Luis Obispo | Franklin and Marshall College | Miami University-Oxford | St. Michael’s College | University of North Carolina—​Wilmington | |
| California State Polytechnic University—Pomona | Furman University | Middlebury College | St. Olaf College | University of Notre Dame | |
| California State University—Fresno | Georgia Institute of Technology | Millsaps College | Stetson University | University of Oklahoma | |
| California State University—Fullerton | Gettysburg College | Mount Holyoke College | Stevens Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
It is still best to check the school’s website or contact the school that you want to apply to for more information.
Conclusion
Superscoring is a fair and valid practice used by most students and welcomed by several colleges nowadays.
We hoped that we are able to clear up confusion and answer all these questions clearly
- How to find your superscore?
- Should I include my writing score as well?
- What are the benefits of superscoring?
- Can superscores be trusted?
- Will taking the ACT multiple times hurt my college application?
- How many times can I take the ACT?
- Colleges that superscore the ACT
Now that you know the colleges that superscore act, it is now time to prepare for other college requirements
If you are planning on retaking the exam, then it would be best to start looking for other effective ways on how to study for the ACT.
You can also read our previous articles to help you better prepare for the exam.
- 7 ACT prep book to help you score higher
- Understanding the ACT calculator policy
- 5 Websites that provides ACT practice tests
Todd VanDuzer
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