Colleges in North Carolina for 1250 SAT Scores: Where You Fall in the Middle 50%
North Carolina has 33 main-campus colleges that report SAT percentiles to College Scorecard. A score of 1250 on the SAT is inside the middle 50% at 14 of them, below the 25th percentile at 5 (a reach) and above the 75th percentile at 14 (above typical).
Those 14 typical colleges have a median net price of $17,358 and a median acceptance rate of 75%. By sector, 7 public and 7 private nonprofit; 14 report a test-optional policy.
Acceptance rates in this group run from 30% at University of North Carolina School of the Arts to 92% at University of North Carolina Asheville, so a score inside the middle 50% says little about an admission decision. The lowest net price among them is $10,965 at University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Nationwide, the 377 typical colleges for this score have a median net price of $23,130 and a median acceptance rate of 75%; in North Carolina the figures are $17,358 and 75%. Test-optional colleges among the 14 in North Carolina: 14. Test-optional colleges often publish ranges that skew high.
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Typical
14
Your score is within the school's middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
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Reach
5
Your score is below the school's 25th percentile.
-
Above typical
14
Your score is above the school's 75th percentile.
How the groups are defined
One rule sorts every college, using the 25th and 75th percentile scores in the College Scorecard data. We never say a college will admit a score; we only show where it falls.
- Who is counted
- College Scorecard describes these percentiles as the middle 50% of first-time students who enrolled in the fall of 2024; admitted students who did not enroll are not included. Colleges can only report scores for students who submitted them, and colleges that do not require tests often report mostly higher scorers, so their ranges tend to skew high.
- Reach. Your score is below the school's 25th percentile.
- Typical. Your score is within the school's middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
- Above typical. Your score is above the school's 75th percentile.
- SAT totals are approximate. Scorecard publishes 25th and 75th percentiles for the Reading and Writing and Math sections but not for the total, so we add the two 25th percentiles and the two 75th percentiles. Across the 866 colleges that also report Scorecard's average SAT score, the midpoint of that range differs from the average by a median of 15 points (90% are within 45).
- We do not convert between the SAT and the ACT. This page uses SAT scores only; the other test has its own pages.
- Test policy
- The test policy comes from the admissions field Scorecard calls ADMCON7. We tag a college as test-optional when it reports that tests are neither required nor recommended, or are considered only if submitted. Test-optional colleges among the 14 typical ones: 14.
- Left out: 1,471 of 2,356 main-campus colleges with missing or suppressed SAT percentiles, and 19 dropped because their figures contradict themselves: Scorecard's own average SAT score falls outside the summed section range, so the percentiles and the average describe different groups of students. None had a 25th percentile above the 75th or a value outside the valid range. 866 colleges are counted.
- Data periodTest score percentiles: fall 2024 entering class. Acceptance rate: fall 2024 applicants. Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24 (in-state price at public colleges).
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Read the full methodology Test-optional colleges and how to read SAT/ACT ranges
Typical: the middle 50% includes 1250 (14)
Your score is within the school's middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile. Sorted by net price, lowest first; colleges with no reported net price come last. Showing all 14.
| College | Middle 50% | Net price | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $10,965 · Acceptance rate: 89% | 1150–1355 | ||
| University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $12,250 · Acceptance rate: 92% | 1170–1360 | ||
| Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $13,090 · Acceptance rate: 75% | 1000–1250 | ||
| Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $13,315 · Acceptance rate: 82% | 1080–1270 | ||
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $14,906 · Acceptance rate: 30% | 1140–1370 | ||
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $15,435 · Acceptance rate: 80% | 1140–1330 | ||
| Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $16,836 · Acceptance rate: 90% | 1120–1280 | ||
| Catawba College Salisbury, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $17,879 · Acceptance rate: 75% | 1030–1300 | ||
| University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $20,109 · Acceptance rate: 64% | 1230–1340 | ||
| Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $22,488 · Acceptance rate: 74% | 1098–1348 | ||
| Methodist University Fayetteville, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $24,704 · Acceptance rate: 75% | 1080–1250 | ||
| Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $30,857 · Acceptance rate: 62% | 1140–1340 | ||
| High Point University High Point, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $38,707 · Acceptance rate: 75% | 1110–1320 | ||
| Elon University Elon, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $41,555 · Acceptance rate: 66% | 1130–1280 |
Reach: 1250 is below the 25th percentile (5)
Your score is below the school's 25th percentile. Closest first: the colleges whose 25th percentile is nearest above 1250. Showing all 5.
| College | Middle 50% | Net price | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $17,303 · Acceptance rate: 42% | 1300–1470 | ||
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $11,655 · Acceptance rate: 15% | 1390–1530 | ||
| Davidson College Davidson, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $17,379 · Acceptance rate: 13% | 1400–1530 | ||
| Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $28,719 · Acceptance rate: 22% | 1410–1520 | ||
| Duke University Durham, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $29,612 · Acceptance rate: 6% | 1500–1570 |
Above typical: 1250 is above the 75th percentile (14)
Your score is above the school's 75th percentile. Closest first: the colleges whose 75th percentile is nearest below 1250. Showing all 14.
| College | Middle 50% | Net price | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem College Winston-Salem, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $18,277 · Acceptance rate: 77% | 1066–1243 | ||
| East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $15,739 · Acceptance rate: 89% | 1070–1240 | ||
| William Peace University Raleigh, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $21,649 · Acceptance rate: 94% | 1080–1225 | ||
| Brevard College Brevard, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $23,509 · Acceptance rate: 42% | 870–1220 | ||
| Mid-Atlantic Christian University Elizabeth City, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $18,328 · Acceptance rate: 62% | 830–1210 | ||
| Wingate University Wingate, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $20,748 · Acceptance rate: 91% | 1010–1210 | ||
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $10,260 · Acceptance rate: 93% | 970–1200 | ||
| Belmont Abbey College Belmont, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $24,639 · Acceptance rate: 75% | 960–1200 | ||
| Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $17,674 · Acceptance rate: 77% | 975–1198 | ||
| North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $10,846 · Acceptance rate: 50% | 1020–1190 | ||
| Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $7,892 · Acceptance rate: 82% | 890–1090 | ||
| Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $6,364 · Acceptance rate: 64% | 920–1080 | ||
| Bennett College Greensboro, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $28,299 · Acceptance rate: 51% | 820–1060 | ||
| Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 4-year · Test-optional Net price: $13,479 · Acceptance rate: 78% | 830–1020 |
National view
See all 377 typical colleges nationwide for 1250 SAT