Can I get into Cornell with a 1450 SAT?

The answer is yes. I had a 1460, for example, and one of my friends had a 1370, whereas a bunch of my other friends have1590s and 1600s. Although yes, more people have 1500+ SATs than don’t, a score between a 1400–1500 DEFINITELY DOES NOT count you out. A score below a 1400 will need a stellar application to go along with it. For example, the 1370 student I mentioned earlier also founded and was president all 4 years of his school’s Model UN team/club which won national awards.

There’s another side to your answer. Thousands of applicants with SATs higher than a 1450 get in. Hundreds of students with perfect 1600s also don’t get in. SATs aren’t that big of a decision-maker anymore, although scoring very high on a specific section corresponding to what you want to study (like an 800 on Math for an engineering applicant) will certainly help your case.

So yes, you can get into Cornell with a 1450, but make sure you have ECs that make you stand out, a unique and deeply personal essay that allows your past experiences and personal growth to shine through and show how your academic interests formed, challenging classes that show your interest in the field of study you’re applying to, and finally, the cherry on top: have a ‘spike’ as you may have heard before… essentially, do something unique to yourself that would make you stand out in a positive way from other applicants.

Hope this answer helped and good luck with the application process.

© Adam Faridi