College football conferences are usually judged by championships, recruiting classes and NFL draft picks, but the ACC also brings together some of the nation’s most selective and academically recognized universities.
From the Stanford Cardinal and Duke Blue Devils to the Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers, the conference’s 17 members represent a wide range of institutions. Some are private universities with exceptionally low acceptance rates, while others are large public schools serving tens of thousands of undergraduate students. Comparing their admissions data offers another perspective on how the league’s schools stack up away from the field.
According to data compiled from Niche, the Seminoles rank No. 15 among the ACC's 17 football-playing
institutions when schools are ordered by their published SAT and ACT score ranges. The Seminoles sit ahead of Louisville and Clemson in the SAT-based order but behind Syracuse, Virginia Tech and the remainder of the conference. At the top of the list are several of the country’s most selective universities, highlighting the academic depth the ACC gained through recent expansion.
Admissions standards can change from year to year, and test-optional policies have also affected how standardized scores are reported. Still, the available figures provide a useful snapshot of the academic profiles associated with each ACC football program. Here is where every conference school ranks based on its Niche SAT range.
17. University of Louisville
SAT Range: 1040-1270
ACT Range: 19-27
City: Louisville, Kentucky
Undergraduate enrollment: 17,086
U.S. News ranking: No. 158
Acceptance rate: 79%
16. Clemson University
SAT Range: 1240-1410
ACT Range: 28-32
City: Clemson, South Carolina
Undergraduate enrollment: 23,401
U.S. News ranking: No. 75
Acceptance rate: 38%
15. Florida State University
SAT Range: 1270-1410
ACT Range: 29-32
City: Tallahassee, Florida
Undergraduate enrollment: 32,720
U.S. News ranking: No. 51 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 24%
14. Syracuse University
SAT Range: 1270-1440
ACT Range: 29-32
City: Syracuse, New York
Undergraduate enrollment: 15,957
U.S. News ranking: No. 75 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 46%
13. Virginia Tech
SAT Range: 1280-1450
ACT Range: 28-32
City: Blacksburg, Virginia
Undergraduate enrollment: 31,035
U.S. News ranking: No. 51 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 55%
12. University of Pittsburgh
SAT Range: 1280-1460
ACT Range: 29-33
City: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate enrollment: 20,418
U.S. News ranking: No. 69 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 58%
11. North Carolina State University
SAT Range: 1300-1470
ACT Range: 28-32
City: Raleigh, North Carolina
Undergraduate enrollment: 28,422
U.S. News ranking: No. 64 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 42%
10. University of Miami
SAT Range: 1320-1480
ACT Range: 30-33
City: Coral Gables, Florida
Undergraduate enrollment: 13,250
U.S. News ranking: No. 64 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 19%
9. Southern Methodist University
SAT Range: 1340-1490
ACT Range: 30-34
City: Dallas, Texas
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,285
U.S. News ranking: No. 88 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 63%
8. University of California, Berkeley
SAT Range: 1310-1530
ACT Range: 30-35
City: Berkeley, California
Undergraduate enrollment: 33,469
U.S. News ranking: No. 15 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 11%
7. Georgia Institute of Technology
SAT Range: 1370-1540
ACT Range: 30-34
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Undergraduate enrollment: 20,592
U.S. News ranking: No. 32 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 14%
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SAT Range: 1390-1530
ACT Range: 28-34
City: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Undergraduate enrollment: 21,075
U.S. News ranking: No. 26 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 15%
5. Wake Forest University
SAT Range: 1410-1520
ACT Range: 32-34
City: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Undergraduate enrollment: 5,490
U.S. News ranking: No. 51 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 22%
4. University of Virginia
SAT Range: 1410-1540
ACT Range: 32-35
City: Charlottesville, Virginia
Undergraduate enrollment: 17,901
U.S. News ranking: No. 26 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 17%
3. Boston College
SAT Range: 1440-1540
ACT Range: 33-35
City: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Undergraduate enrollment: 9,654
U.S. News ranking: No. 36 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 16%
2. Duke University
SAT Range: 1500-1570
ACT Range: 34-35
City: Durham, North Carolina
Undergraduate enrollment: 6,523
U.S. News ranking: No. 7 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 6%
1. Stanford University
SAT Range: 1510-1580
ACT Range: 34-35
City: Stanford, California
Undergraduate enrollment: 7,904
U.S. News ranking: No. 4 (tied)
Acceptance rate: 4%
Follow us @FSUWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: ACC schools ranked by SAT scores
