2026 Best Business Schools | Average SAT, ACT & GPA Scores At The Top B-Schools

In the classroom, the quality of one’s classmates can have just as much impact on learning as a rockstar professor. That’s why Poets&Quants counts a school’s Admission Standards as a third of the final score in our annual ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the U.S. This category includes metrics on average SAT/ACT scores and average high school GPA.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of colleges and universities went test optional, choosing not to require a SAT or ACT score as part of their admissions process. Some wondered if the admission changes would become more or less permanent.

Some schools do indeed remain test optional or even test blind – meaning they won’t look at standardized test scores even if applicants submit them. That includes the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, which ranked No. 48 in our 2026 ranking, and University of San Diego Knauss School of Business, ranked No. 69.

Out of 110 ranked programs for 2026, just six did not report any average SAT or SAT scores for the fall 2025 incoming class. But, several schools reported that only a fraction of its incoming students submitted test scores for admission consideration.

For prospective students looking to gauge their admission chances, we’ve compiled the highest and lowest average scores from each test based on school submitted data from our 2026 business school ranking. You’ll find all the average scores from all 110 ranked schools on page 2.

HIGHEST TEST SCORES AT P&Q RANKED B-SCHOOLS 

Incoming students at New York University’s Stern School of Business (ranked No. 6 overall) posted the highest average SAT score at 1551. It’s the third straight year Sternies topped our ranking for test scores.  

University of Pennsylvania’s The Wharton School (ranked No. 1 overall) posted the second highest average SAT of 1525. 

Stern and Wharton students also posted the highest average ACT scores at 35.2 and 35 respectively. 

NEXT PAGE: Average test scores at all P&Q ranked business schools 

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