Houston
Houston SAT and ACT Requirements
Houston is outside the 100 schools in our test policy tracker, so check its admissions site for the current policy. The middle 50% of enrolled first-year students scored 1160 to 1340 on the SAT and 23 to 29 on the ACT.
2026-27 policy
Not tracked
SAT middle 50%
1160–1340
ACT middle 50%
23–29
Acceptance rate
74%
Houston SAT scores by section
| Section | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 590 | 670 |
| Math | 570 | 670 |
| Total | 1160 | 1340 |
| ACT Composite | 23 | 29 |
The total is the sum of the section percentiles, the standard way to estimate a middle 50% for the combined score.
Where your score puts you
- Below 1160: lower than three quarters of enrolled students. A retake has the most upside here.
- 1160 to 1340: in line with the class. The rest of your application decides it.
- Above 1340: higher than three quarters of enrolled students. Testing is no longer what holds the application back.
Keep these numbers
Frequently asked questions
Does Houston require the SAT or ACT?
Houston is outside the 100 schools in our test policy tracker, so check its admissions site for the current policy.
What SAT score do you need for Houston?
The published range is not a cutoff. Among enrolled first-year students, a quarter scored below 1160, half scored between 1160 and 1340, and a quarter scored above 1340. A score at or above 1340 puts you ahead of most of the class on testing; a score below 1160 works against you.
What ACT score do you need for Houston?
The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 23 to 29 on the ACT. On the official conversion table that is an SAT 1140 to 1340.
Score ranges: College Scorecard API — U.S. Department of Education (api.data.gov) and Editorial overrides layer (overrides.json) — Common Data Set & institutional sources. They describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted.
