Dartmouth is the only school in this list requiring the SAT or ACT for 2026-27 applicants; New Hampshire's public universities (UNH, Keene State, Plymouth State) and nearly every private college here (Saint Anselm, Franklin Pierce, Colby-Sawyer, New England College, Rivier, SNHU) are test-optional or fully test-blind. Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 10 colleges New Hampshire families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money New Hampshire families can earn: UNH Chancellor's Scholarship and UNH Presidential Scholarship.
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth College | 1440-1550 · enrolled, fall 2025 | 32-35 | 6.0% · fall 2025 | Required for 2026-27 |
| University of New Hampshire | 1100-1320 · enrolled, fall 2024 (only 22.7% of the class submitted a score) | 26-30 | 88.2% · fall 2024 | Test-optional for 2026-27 |
| Keene State College | 860-1240 · enrolled, fall 2025 | Not published | 89.8% · fall 2025 | Test-optional for 2026-27 |
| Saint Anselm College | Not published | 24-30 | 78% · fall 2024 | Test-optional for 2026-27 |
| Franklin Pierce University | Not published | Not published | 93.4% · fall 2024, IPEDS | Test-optional for 2026-27 |
| Rivier University | Not published | Not published | 83% · fall 2024 | Test-optional for 2026-27 |
| Plymouth State University | Not published | Not published | Not reported | See school |
| Colby-Sawyer College | No SAT/ACT composite published (test-blind) · fall 2024 | No SAT/ACT composite published (test-blind) | 80% · fall 2024 | Test-blind for 2026-27 |
| New England College | No SAT/ACT composite published (test-blind) · fall 2024 | No SAT/ACT composite published (test-blind) | 92% · fall 2024 | Test-blind for 2026-27 |
| Southern New Hampshire University | No SAT/ACT composite published (test-blind) · fall 2023 (most recent official admissions filing) | No SAT/ACT composite published (test-blind) | 96% · fall 2023 | Test-blind for 2026-27 |
| UNH Chancellor's Scholarship | No SAT cutoff, GPA-based, not SAT-based | See program rules | ~$28,000-$40,000 over 4 years | $7,000 to $10,000 per year for a recalculated weighted high school GPA of 3.90-4.00; awarded automatically on admission, renewable up to 4 years with a 3.2 college GPA |
| UNH Presidential Scholarship | No SAT cutoff, GPA-based, not SAT-based | See program rules | ~$20,000 over 4 years | $5,000 per year for a recalculated weighted high school GPA of 3.70-3.89; awarded automatically on admission, renewable up to 4 years with a 3.2 college GPA |
Cohort notes: Dartmouth: Dartmouth reinstated required SAT/ACT testing and offers no merit aid at all; every dollar of its aid is need-based. UNH: UNH is New Hampshire's public flagship; its SAT range reflects only the roughly 1 in 5 enrolled students who chose to submit a score. Keene State: Part of the University System of New Hampshire with UNH and Plymouth State; ACT percentiles were not reported because too few enrolled students submitted ACT scores. Saint Anselm: A Roman Catholic Benedictine college in Manchester; its public Common Data Set is not posted online, so figures here come from its official IPEDS admissions filing. Franklin Pierce: Based in Rindge; Franklin Pierce's own admissions criteria page says applicants are evaluated on coursework and essays rather than test scores. Rivier: A Catholic university in Nashua that expanded its test-optional policy to its nursing program; almost no enrolled students submit a score. Plymouth State: Part of the University System of New Hampshire; Plymouth State's own 2024-25 Common Data Set left the SAT/ACT policy checkboxes and admitted-applicant counts blank. Colby-Sawyer: Colby-Sawyer reports to the U.S. Department of Education that SAT/ACT scores are not considered in admissions even if submitted. New England College: NEC's own admissions page states there are no test scores required at all; its official IPEDS filing confirms SAT/ACT is not considered. SNHU: SNHU is one of the largest private nonprofit universities in the country by enrollment and does not consider SAT/ACT scores in admissions. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scoreDartmouth reports a 1440 to 1550 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025). It admitted 6.0% of 28,230 applicants (fall 2025). The matching ACT range is 32-35. Testing for fall 2027: Required for 2026-27. Dartmouth reinstated required SAT/ACT testing and offers no merit aid at all; every dollar of its aid is need-based.
UNH reports a 1100 to 1320 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024 (only 22.7% of the class submitted a score)). It admitted 88.2% of 21,175 applicants (fall 2024). The matching ACT range is 26-30. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for 2026-27. UNH is New Hampshire's public flagship; its SAT range reflects only the roughly 1 in 5 enrolled students who chose to submit a score.
Keene State reports a 860 to 1240 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2025). It admitted 89.8% of 6,269 applicants (fall 2025). Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for 2026-27. Part of the University System of New Hampshire with UNH and Plymouth State; ACT percentiles were not reported because too few enrolled students submitted ACT scores.
Saint Anselm does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 78% of 4,423 applicants (fall 2024). The matching ACT range is 24-30. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for 2026-27. A Roman Catholic Benedictine college in Manchester; its public Common Data Set is not posted online, so figures here come from its official IPEDS admissions filing.
Franklin Pierce does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 93.4% of 2,373 applicants (fall 2024, IPEDS). Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for 2026-27. Based in Rindge; Franklin Pierce's own admissions criteria page says applicants are evaluated on coursework and essays rather than test scores.
Rivier does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 83% of 1,769 applicants (fall 2024). Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional for 2026-27. A Catholic university in Nashua that expanded its test-optional policy to its nursing program; almost no enrolled students submit a score.
Plymouth State does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Part of the University System of New Hampshire; Plymouth State's own 2024-25 Common Data Set left the SAT/ACT policy checkboxes and admitted-applicant counts blank.
Colby-Sawyer does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 80% of 2,129 applicants (fall 2024). Testing for fall 2027: Test-blind for 2026-27. Colby-Sawyer reports to the U.S. Department of Education that SAT/ACT scores are not considered in admissions even if submitted.
New England College does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 92% of 3,251 applicants (fall 2024). Testing for fall 2027: Test-blind for 2026-27. NEC's own admissions page states there are no test scores required at all; its official IPEDS filing confirms SAT/ACT is not considered.
SNHU does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. It admitted 96% of 45,127 applicants (fall 2023). Testing for fall 2027: Test-blind for 2026-27. SNHU is one of the largest private nonprofit universities in the country by enrollment and does not consider SAT/ACT scores in admissions.
New Hampshire has no state-level merit scholarship with an SAT cutoff; the state's own aid (the UNIQUE programs and the Governor's Scholarship) is Pell-grant and need-based, so the closest score-tied money in the state is a university automatic-merit grid, and even that is keyed to GPA rather than SAT, reflecting how far the state's schools have moved from test-based admissions.
UNH Chancellor's Scholarship: No SAT cutoff, GPA-based, not SAT-based. $7,000 to $10,000 per year for a recalculated weighted high school GPA of 3.90-4.00; awarded automatically on admission, renewable up to 4 years with a 3.2 college GPA.
UNH Presidential Scholarship: No SAT cutoff, GPA-based, not SAT-based. $5,000 per year for a recalculated weighted high school GPA of 3.70-3.89; awarded automatically on admission, renewable up to 4 years with a 3.2 college GPA.
UNH recalculates each applicant's GPA on a weighted 4.0 scale using core academic coursework in English, math, science, social science, and foreign language. No separate scholarship application is required; scholarships are renewable for up to 4 years (8 consecutive semesters) provided the recipient maintains a 3.2 college GPA by the end of their fourth semester. New Hampshire's state-run UNIQUE Annual and Endowment Allocation Programs and the Governor's Scholarship are Pell-grant-eligibility and need-based, not score-tied.
UNH, Keene State, Saint Anselm and Franklin Pierce are test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. Dartmouth still require a score. A strong score is one more reason for a school to say yes, and a weak one can simply stay home.
New Hampshire has no statewide scholarship with an SAT cutoff. At the state's public flagship, UNH, merit scholarships are awarded automatically based on weighted high school GPA rather than SAT score: a 3.90-4.00 GPA earns the Chancellor's Scholarship ($7,000-$10,000 a year), and a 3.70-3.89 GPA earns the Presidential Scholarship ($5,000 a year). New Hampshire's own state aid programs are based on financial need and Pell-grant eligibility, not test scores.
UNH does not require the SAT or ACT for 2026-27 applicants; it is test-optional. Among the roughly 23% of UNH's fall 2024 enrolled class who chose to submit a score, the middle-50% SAT Composite range was 1100 to 1320, with a median of 1220.
Dartmouth is New Hampshire's most selective school and requires the SAT or ACT for 2026-27 applicants. Students who enrolled in fall 2025 scored a middle-50% SAT Composite of 1440 to 1550 and ACT Composite of 32 to 35, and Dartmouth admitted only 6.0% of its 28,230 fall 2025 applicants.
Dartmouth is the only school on this list that requires the SAT or ACT for 2026-27. Every other school covered here, from public UNH, Keene State, and Plymouth State to private schools like Colby-Sawyer, New England College, Rivier, and SNHU, is test-optional or fully test-blind, meaning applicants to those schools can choose whether to submit a score at all, or the school does not consider one even if sent.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: Dartmouth, UNH, Keene State, Saint Anselm, Franklin Pierce, Rivier, Plymouth State, Colby-Sawyer, New England College, SNHU, UNH Chancellor's Scholarship. Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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