How important is the SAT for college admission to state colleges in Connecticut? VERY.

“Dennis did not get admitted to UCONN. How can that be?!”  A mother from Guilford High School asked last year.  [As always, details changed to conceal identies]  “He was involved in everything in high school.  He has five varsity letters; over a hundred hours of community service; and he is class President. He also has a 3.4 GPA.”

“What were his SATs?”  I asked.

“He did ok.  1150.  I know that wouldn’t get him into any Ivies.  But I thought he was a shoe-in for UCONN.  We’ve banked on it – literally – because we don’t have the money to send him to a private college.”   At least, her gallows humor was intact.

What is UCONN’s cut-off for SAT scores?

There is no exact answer.  Demographics (underrepresented minorities), special talents (mostly athletes), and the highly ranked (valedictorians and salutatorians get in almost automatically).

But, off the record, I heard 1200. I also have heard 1250 and, even more precisely, 1260.  All those numbers are likely in conjunction with class rank/GPA.  It may be that those in the top ten percent of Guilford High School could get a 1200 and still gain admission and those in the top twenty-five percent of Guilford High School would need a 1250 or 1260 SAT score to gain admission to UCONN.

In my discussion with guidance counselors in Shoreline Connecticut, they tell me that the real shock occurs when students do not meet cut-offs for Southern, Eastern, or Central Connecticut colleges.  Parents seemed to think that they could just sign applications to gain admission.  They did not realize that sub 1000 SAT scores could doom their application and, for programs such as nursing, anything below a 1050 would make them ineligible.

Winter is a great time for prep!