Guides / ACT Scores
Colleges for a 28 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 28 ACT is the 88th percentile — top 12% of test-takers nationally — and concords to about a 1310 SAT.
50 of 140 schools shown
What a 28 ACT Score Really Means
A 28 ACT sits in roughly the 88th percentile of test-takers nationally, the top 12% of everyone who sits the exam, based on College Board / ACT national norms. On the official concordance it lines up with about a 1310 SAT, so you can compare offers and admissions data across both scales.
Against a school's admitted-student profile, a 28 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 28 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 28 is in range at 50 colleges.
Beyond admission, a score above a college's 75th percentile is one of the strongest predictors of a non-need merit scholarship. Because most colleges superscore (combining your best section results across dates) and hundreds are test-optional, a 28 rarely hurts: submit it where it's at or above the median, and weigh withholding it where it sits below 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 28 ACT a good score?
A 28 ACT is an above-average score. It places you in roughly the 88th percentile nationally, the top 12% 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 28 ACT equivalent to on the SAT?
A 28 ACT concords to about a 1310 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 28 ACT?
This page lists 50 colleges where a 28 ACT is in range. Each school is tagged Likely, Target, or Reach based on where 28 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 28 ACT?
A 28 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 28 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 28?
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 28 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.
