The Big 12 Conference is not traditionally known as a prestigious academic conference, but entrance exam scores show several Big 12 schools stand out.
BYU and Colorado continue to hold their own, while Cincinnati was a huge riser on this list compared to its U.S. News academic ranking.
The SAT is a widely used standardized test for college admissions in the United States that debuted in 1926. In recent years, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, entrance exams fell a bit out of favor, with schools not even requiring interested students to take them. Now the SAT is coming back into high schoolers' lives as colleges slowly revert to their pre-pandemic ways.
This test is typically taken by high school students and is intended to measure literacy,
mathematics and writing skills used to predict academic success in college. Higher test scores usually indicate that a school is more prestigious and offers greater academic challenges.
Here is the ranking of SAT scores in the Big 12, thanks to CollegeRaptor, which ranks many aspects of college life.
16. West Virginia Mountaineers
SAT Range: 1020-1230
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 222 (No. 16 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $15,169
Acceptance rate: 73%
15. Oklahoma State University
SAT Range: 1040-1280
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 198 (No. 14 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $19,561
Acceptance rate: 75%
14. Kansas State University
SAT Range: 1050-1280
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 165 (No. 12 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $20,527
Acceptance rate: 82%
13. University of Kansas
SAT Range: 1050-1310
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 152 (No. 10 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $19,205
Acceptance rate: 93%
12. Texas Tech University
SAT Range: 1110-1290
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 198 (No. 14 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $16,919
Acceptance rate: 73%
11. Arizona State University
SAT Range: 1090-1320
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 117 (No. 5 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $17,779
Acceptance rate: 90%
10. Iowa State University
SAT Range: 1090-1330
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 117 (No. 5 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $17,779
Acceptance rate: 89%
9. University of Arizona
SAT Range: 1110-1370
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 127 (No. 8 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $19,055
Acceptance rate: 86%
8. University of Utah
SAT Range: 1130-1350
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 151 (No. 11 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $16,583
Acceptance rate: 86%
7. University of Houston
SAT Range: 1160-1340
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 131 (No. 9 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $14,309
Acceptance rate: 74%
6. University of Cincinnati
SAT Range: 1180-1350
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 158 (No. 12 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $24,696
Acceptance rate: 85%
5. University of Central Florida
SAT Range: 1210-1350
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 117 (No. 5 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $13,351
Acceptance rate: 40%
4. Texas Christian University
SAT Range: 1190-1380
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 97 (No. 2 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $41,848
Acceptance rate: 45%
3. Baylor University
SAT Range: 1230-1420
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 88 (No. 1 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $47,000
Acceptance rate: 51%
2. University of Colorado
SAT Range: 1270-1440
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 97 (No. 2 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $26,231
Acceptance rate: 76%
1. Brigham Young University
SAT Range: 1310-1440
U.S. News & World Report ranking 2026: No. 109 (No. 4 in Big 12)
In-state cost: $16,694
Acceptance rate: 68%
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: All 16 Big 12 schools' SAT scored ranked from worst to first in 2026
