Guides / ACT Scores
Colleges for a 27 ACT Score
Move the slider to your real score. Every college is re-scored live as a Reach, Target, or Likely — with national percentile, merit-aid signals, your SAT equivalent, and earnings and net-price data from College Scorecard.
A 27 ACT is the 85th percentile — top 15% of test-takers nationally — and concords to about a 1280 SAT.
50 of 140 schools shown
What a 27 ACT Score Really Means
Scoring a 27 on the ACT places you near the 85th percentile nationwide (top 15% of test-takers) under current national norms, and concords to roughly a 1280 SAT. That cross-walk matters because many colleges report admitted-student ranges in whichever scale their applicants favor.
Against a school's admitted-student profile, a 27 ACT opens a broad range of four-year colleges and sits at or above the median at a large number of solid programs. Each college on this page is tagged Likely, Target, or Reach depending on where 27 falls relative to its 25th- and 75th-percentile range, so you can separate the safe bets from the stretch schools at a glance. On this page, a 27 is in range at 50 colleges.
On the money side, clearing a school's 75th percentile often triggers non-need merit aid, which can cut the sticker price more than almost anything else in your file. With superscoring widespread and many colleges test-optional, a 27 is best submitted where it meets or beats the median and reconsidered where it falls under the 25th percentile. If you're just under a target school's 25th or 75th percentile, the retake projection on this page shows exactly how many colleges move into range with a modest gain. That makes the retake decision concrete.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 27 ACT a good score?
A 27 ACT is an above-average score. It places you in roughly the 85th percentile nationally, the top 15% of test-takers. It opens a wide range of four-year colleges and is at or above the median at many solid schools.
What is a 27 ACT equivalent to on the SAT?
A 27 ACT concords to about a 1280 SAT using the official College Board / ACT concordance. Use the ACT⇄SAT toggle above to switch this whole page between scales.
What colleges can I get into with a 27 ACT?
This page lists 50 colleges where a 27 ACT is in range. Each school is tagged Likely, Target, or Reach based on where 27 falls in its middle-50% range. Move the slider to see the list re-sort in real time.
Can I get into a top-20 or Ivy League school with a 27 ACT?
A 27 is below the typical range at the Ivies and most top-20 schools, where the middle 50% generally starts around 33–34. It's competitive at many excellent selective colleges; the list above shows where you're a Target or better.
Will a 27 ACT qualify me for merit scholarships?
Frequently, yes. At colleges that award non-need merit aid, scoring above their 75th percentile is one of the strongest predictors of a scholarship offer. Those schools carry a "Merit aid likely" badge above. Note that most Ivies and many elite liberal-arts colleges award need-based aid only, so a high score there improves admission odds but not price.
Should I retake the ACT to improve on a 27?
Use the retake projection above. It shows exactly how many additional colleges move into range with +1–2 points, so you can weigh the effort against the schools it actually adds. As a rule of thumb, retaking pays off most when you're just below a school's 25th or 75th percentile.
Do colleges superscore the ACT, and does test-optional change things?
Many colleges superscore, meaning they combine your best section scores across test dates, so retaking rarely hurts. Hundreds of colleges are also test-optional, meaning a 27 that's at or above a school's median strengthens your file, while you can withhold it where it sits below the 25th percentile. The Likely/Target/Reach tags above are a quick read on which way that goes for each school.
Percentile and concordance figures use College Board / ACT national norms. Verify each school's current merit policy before relying on it.
