Source: Flickr user daveaustria.
If you’re considering applying to Villanova University, you’re in good company. Each year, the Pennsylvania university receives over 15,000 applications. Of those who apply, about half are accepted.
Villanova requires applicants to submit either SAT or ACT scores from tests taken during, or before December, of their senior year. SAT subject tests aren’t required by Villanova.
VU recommends that students who sit for multiple exam dates submit scores from each date. This is because Villanova considers “superscores” when making admissions decisions. Basically, this means that the admissions committee will look at the highest section scores you achieve from all test dates and use these to calculate a new composite, or combined superscore. For some students, this can result in a considerable score boost.
To see what kind of scores you’ll need to get into a school, it’s useful to look at 25th-75th percentile score ranges. Basically, this range tells you how the “middle” 50 percent of students who are accepted score. To make your application competitive, you’ll want your scores to fall in this range.
ACT
The middle 50 percent of students admitted to Villanova generally score between 27 and 32 on the ACT math section, and between 29 and 34 in English.
The ACT has four sections. Typically, English and math are the only sections considered individually for estimating admissions chance. The composite score, though, is an average of all four sections. The 25th-75th percentile range for ACT composite scores of Villanova acceptees is about 28-31.
SAT
It’s hard to say how/if scoring will change for the new SAT. But, it may still be helpful to see how students accepted to Villanova generally scored on the old SAT.
For VU acceptees, the 25th-75th percentile range for SAT math was between 620 and 710. For the verbal section, this range was 600-690.
With the new SAT, the “combined” score is just the scores of the verbal and math sections added together. The middle 50 percent of students admitted to Villanova generally had combined scores between 1220 and 1400.
How Villanova University compares
Nationally, the average composite ACT score is 21.0, with English scores averaging 20.4 and math scores coming in around 20.8. To increase your admissions chances at Villanova, you’ll want to score well above average. Given VU’s 25th-75th percentile ranges shown above, students accepted generally score higher than 90 to 96 percent of all students nationwide.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that the admissions committee at Villanova is interested in more than just test scores. A great score on a standardized test doesn’t guarantee you’ll get into any one college. Likewise, a somewhat lower score doesn’t mean it’s not worth a shot to apply—after all, 25 percent of accepted students score below the middle 50 percent! Additional important aspects of your application include GPA, extracurriculars, essays, and letters of recommendation.
It’s also worth noting that when deciding where to apply, it’s important to consider more than just how your test scores stack up. When looking at colleges, be sure to consider other aspects of fit, such as cultural fit, financial fit, and location.
