Is a 31 ACT good for Notre Dame?

A 31 ACT score for the University of Notre Dame, while good generally, puts you below the typical admitted student's range (32-35 middle 50%), making it an academically weaker score for this highly selective university, so you'd need an otherwise exceptional application (high GPA, strong essays, great extracurriculars) or choose to apply test-optional to avoid it being a disadvantage.

Can I get into Notre Dame with a 31 ACT?

There's no absolute ACT requirement at Notre Dame, but they really want to see at least a 33 to have a chance at being considered. Exclusive: Want to learn how to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score.

Is 31 a good ACT score?

Yes, a 31 on the ACT is an excellent score, placing you in the 96th percentile (top 4%) nationally, well above the average and making you a strong candidate for many selective colleges and significant scholarships. While it might not guarantee admission to the most highly selective Ivy League or T20 schools, it's a very competitive score that opens doors to numerous strong universities.
 

What ACT do I need to get into Notre Dame?

The 25th percentile ACT score is 33, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 35. Even though Notre Dame likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 33 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application.

How rare is 33 on ACT?

33 ACT Score: National Percentile and Rarity

That means you scored higher than about 98% of students who sit for the ACT each year. Scores in the 30s are the highest echelon of ACT performance. Even a 30 hovers in the mid-90s percentiles, so a 33 pushes you into a very small, elite group.

Is a 31 act good enough for Ivy League?

Is it harder to get into UCLA or Notre Dame?

UCLA is generally harder to get into than Notre Dame based on acceptance rates, with UCLA typically hovering around 9-10% compared to Notre Dame's roughly 11-19%, making UCLA one of the most selective public universities, though both are very competitive, and factors beyond stats, like your specific profile and the UC system's high volume of applications, heavily influence admissions. 

Is Notre Dame harder to get into than Harvard?

It is significantly harder to get into Harvard University than the University of Notre Dame, with Harvard's acceptance rate often below 4% compared to Notre Dame's, which has recently hovered around 9-11%. Harvard is consistently ranked among the most selective schools globally, requiring exceptional academic and extracurricular profiles, though Notre Dame is also extremely competitive and considered a top-tier university. 

What is the #1 hardest college to get into?

There isn't one single #1 hardest school, as it changes slightly by year and criteria, but Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and Caltech consistently rank among the top with extremely low acceptance rates (often 3-4%) and intense competition for spots, though other top global universities like Oxford and Tsinghua are also incredibly selective. Harvard is frequently cited as the hardest due to its high volume of applications and focus on global leadership potential, while Caltech is known for its extreme difficulty in STEM. 

What type of student does Notre Dame look for?

Instead, we look for students who challenge themselves within the context of their high school by taking rigorous courses—such as AP, IB, dual enrollment, honors, or other advanced classes offered by your high school—and who earn strong grades. There is no single right curriculum.

Where can I go with a 31 ACT score?

What colleges can I get into with a 31 ACT score? Among many others, you can apply as a competitive applicant to institutions including the University of Florida, Boston University, and the University of Miami.

What was Taylor Swift's SAT score?

Taylor Swift's SAT score is not publicly known because she left high school early to pursue her music career and never officially took the SATs for college admission, though she was academically successful in high school, graduating early with a 4.0 GPA before focusing on music. She famously called out a practice test for misquoting her lyrics, highlighting her strong grasp of grammar despite not needing the test.
 

Can I get into an ivy with a 31 ACT?

Generally speaking, you need a minimum ACT score of 31 to get into an Ivy League School. The minimum score is 32 at a few of these schools, including Harvard and Yale. The minimum SAT score to get into an Ivy League school ranges from 690 to 730 for the reading section and from 700 to 730 for the math section.

What was Mark Zuckerberg's SAT score?

Mark Zuckerberg reportedly scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT, achieving the maximum possible score before attending Harvard University. This high score reflects his exceptional academic performance, matching other tech leaders like Bill Gates and Will Smith who also attained near-perfect or perfect scores, according to various reports.
 

Does Notre Dame prefer ACT or SAT?

Notre Dame is test-optional for all applicants through the 2025-26 school year, meaning ACT and/or SAT scores are not required. Students who rank Notre Dame can indicate whether they would like SAT and/or ACT scores included in the evaluation of their application on the Notre Dame QuestBridge Supplement.

Should I submit a 1440 to Notre Dame?

You should likely submit a 1440 SAT score to Notre Dame, as it falls right at the 25th percentile, meaning 25% of admitted students scored at or below this, but you'll need strong essays, extracurriculars, and high GPA to balance it and stand out, as the score alone isn't a guarantee, especially with high competition and ND valuing non-numeric factors heavily. 

Where do top 1% send kids to college?

The "top 1%" of students, referring to those from the highest income brackets, tend to attend elite universities like MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and Yale that consistently rank high in national and global lists, with some even having more students from the top 1% income bracket than the bottom 60% combined, according to The New York Times data. Top-ranked institutions like MIT, Princeton, Harvard, and Stanford are frequent top contenders in various 2026 rankings from U.S. News & World Report and Times Higher Education. 

Do colleges prefer ACT or SAT?

Colleges don't have a preference. All colleges that accept or require an admission test accept the SAT. While ACT transitions test formats, some colleges are updating their test policies, ranging from requiring the ACT Science section to not calculating an ACT superscore in the 2025-26 application cycle.

What college is 100% acceptance rate?

Yes, many colleges have a 100% acceptance rate, often through open admissions policies, meaning they accept all applicants who meet basic requirements, including many community colleges, specialized career schools, and some online or regional universities like Broward College, Empire State University (SUNY), University of Maryland Global Campus, and Utah Valley University, though availability and specific programs vary. These institutions guarantee admission for qualified applicants, focusing on accessibility, with some examples including Delta State University, Montana State University Billings, and the Academy of Art University. 

Is it harder to get into Duke or Notre Dame?

Duke is generally harder to get into than Notre Dame, consistently showing lower acceptance rates (around 5-11%) compared to Notre Dame (around 11-20%), though both are highly selective schools with strong academic profiles and competitive admissions. Duke often sees slightly higher average SAT/ACT scores and its admissions are considered more challenging overall, though admissions are complex and depend on many factors. 

Why is Notre Dame so prestigious?

Notre Dame's prestige stems from its strong academics (top programs in business, economics, engineering), high national rankings, a unique Catholic mission focused on character and service, exceptional student outcomes (high retention/graduation rates), a stunning campus, powerful alumni network, and legendary sports programs (especially football), creating a potent blend of intellectual rigor, moral development, and school spirit. 

Who is Harvard's biggest rival?

The Harvard and Yale football rivalry, known as "The Game," is the second-oldest continuing rivalry in college football. The Crimson and Bulldogs are the two winningest teams in the FCS, have 26 national championships, two Heisman winners and 34 Ivy League crowns.

Is Notre Dame as good as an Ivy League school?

Yes, Notre Dame is widely considered to be academically on par with Ivy League schools, often ranking alongside them in national lists and considered a "New Ivy," offering comparable academic rigor, strong research, and an excellent student experience, even though it's not officially part of the Ivy League athletic conference. Many sources highlight its high-quality undergraduate education, strong faculty, impressive research, and robust alumni network as comparable to or exceeding some Ivies in specific areas.
 

What is the hardest non ivy school to get into?

Stanford University

Stanford is also not an Ivy, but it is still one of the hardest colleges to get into. The Stanford acceptance rate is 4%, tied with Columbia. Stanford is located in the Bay Area of California, about 35 miles south of San Francisco.

Where do the 1% go to college?

The 1% of the wealthiest Americans disproportionately attend highly selective, elite universities, particularly Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, Columbia) and other top institutions like MIT, Stanford, Duke, and UChicago, where they make up a large percentage of the student body, often outnumbering students from the bottom 60% of income earners combined. Liberal arts colleges and prestigious public universities also attract many wealthy students, with specific examples including WashU St. Louis, UVA, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins.