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Digest of Education Statistics
2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 226.30. [CORRECTED] Number, percentage distribution, and SAT mean scores of high school seniors taking the SAT, by degree-level goal and intended college major: Selected years, 2017 through 2021
  2017 2019 2020 2021
Degree-level goal and intended college major Seniors who had taken the SAT Mean score1 Seniors who had taken the SAT Mean score1 Seniors who had taken the SAT Mean score1 Seniors who had taken the SAT Mean score1
Number
(in thousands)
Percentage distri-bution Total SAT score Evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) Math Number
(in thousands)
Percentage distri-bution Total SAT score Evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) Math Number
(in thousands)
Percentage distri-bution Total SAT score Evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) Math Number
(in thousands)
Percentage distri-bution Total SAT score Evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) Math
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
All students 1,715 100.0 1060 533 527 2,220 100.0 1059 531 528 2,198 100.0 1051 528 523 1,509 100.0 1060 533 528

Degree-level goal2
                                       
Certificate program 12 0.9 925 466 460 19 1.2 900 453 447 22 1.3 899 453 445 13 1.3 911 460 451
Associate's degree 21 1.6 900 457 444 33 2.1 883 449 434 37 2.3 872 443 429 96 9.7 1031 524 507
Bachelor's degree 362 27.4 1038 524 513 448 28.0 1039 524 515 453 28.0 1036 523 514 233 23.7 1058 533 525
Master's degree 435 32.9 1104 555 549 504 31.5 1118 560 558 506 31.2 1114 558 556 301 30.7 1136 568 568
Doctor's or related degree 305 23.1 1138 573 565 356 22.2 1157 580 578 348 21.5 1153 578 575 209 21.3 1187 594 593
Other 9 0.7 918 458 460 12 0.7 903 452 452 12 0.7 893 447 446 6 0.6 912 454 458
Undecided 176 13.3 1064 537 527 230 14.3 1054 530 524 241 14.9 1047 526 520 125 12.7 1089 545 543

Intended college major3
                                       
Agriculture, agriculture operations,
     and related sciences
17 1.2 1003 508 495 25 1.4 977 496 481 26 1.4 968 492 476 16 1.4 977 497 480
Architecture and related services 20 1.4 1056 524 531 29 1.6 1047 520 527 32 1.7 1042 518 524 21 1.8 1051 523 528
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender
     studies
2 0.1 1084 561 523 3 0.1 1040 536 504 3 0.2 1037 534 503 2 0.1 1029 530 500
Biological and biomedical sciences 107 7.3 1132 571 561 156 8.5 1139 572 566 158 8.7 1134 570 564 107 9.1 1158 582 576
Business, management, marketing, and
     related support services
167 11.4 1072 536 537 222 12.0 1072 534 537 222 12.2 1066 532 534 143 12.2 1081 540 541
Communication, journalism, and
     related programs
30 2.1 1071 552 519 36 2.0 1069 550 519 35 1.9 1066 548 517 20 1.7 1071 552 519
Computer and information sciences
     and support services
56 3.8 1143 568 575 80 4.3 1156 571 585 83 4.6 1156 570 586 62 5.3 1182 582 600
Construction trades, general 1 0.1 958 479 479 3 0.1 919 459 460 3 0.1 914 456 457 1 0.1 951 478 473
Education 57 3.9 1032 525 507 72 3.9 1022 519 503 71 3.9 1021 519 503 38 3.2 1033 526 507
Engineering 156 10.6 1140 560 580 194 10.6 1139 559 581 179 9.8 1140 559 581 120 10.2 1167 573 595
Engineering technologies/technicians 24 1.7 1047 516 532 34 1.8 1041 512 528 33 1.8 1047 514 533 19 1.6 1072 526 546
English language and literature/
     letters
15 1.0 1124 591 533 16 0.9 1119 585 533 14 0.8 1122 587 535 8 0.7 1148 602 546
Family and consumer sciences/human
     sciences
4 0.3 969 493 476 6 0.4 953 484 469 6 0.3 952 484 468 3 0.2 974 497 478
Foreign languages and literatures,
     general
7 0.5 1116 575 541 10 0.5 1102 566 536 9 0.5 1095 562 533 5 0.4 1121 576 545
Health professions and related
     clinical sciences
278 18.9 1045 529 516 331 18.0 1048 529 518 309 17.0 1044 528 516 194 16.6 1053 533 520
History, general 11 0.7 1086 562 524 13 0.7 1090 563 527 11 0.6 1108 572 536 7 0.6 1134 587 546
Legal studies, general 29 2.0 1084 555 530 36 1.9 1104 564 540 35 1.9 1107 566 541 24 2.0 1122 575 547
Liberal arts and sciences, general
     studies, and humanities
8 0.5 1116 575 541 9 0.5 1140 584 556 7 0.4 1153 589 564 5 0.4 1181 604 577
Library science/librarianship # # 1118 585 533 # # 1105 577 527 # # 1137 596 541 # # 1167 617 549
Mathematics and statistics 11 0.7 1228 592 636 17 0.9 1242 597 646 17 0.9 1247 599 648 12 1.0 1273 612 661
Mechanic and repair technologies/
     technicians
3 0.2 937 466 470 7 0.4 916 458 458 6 0.3 921 460 461 2 0.2 949 475 473
Military technologies 7 0.5 986 498 488 7 0.4 984 498 486 6 0.3 986 498 488 4 0.3 1003 508 496
Multi/interdisciplinary studies 2 0.2 1160 586 575 3 0.2 1155 581 574 3 0.2 1166 586 580 2 0.2 1199 602 597
Natural resources and conservation 8 0.6 1095 558 537 10 0.6 1104 562 543 10 0.5 1121 571 550 6 0.5 1132 577 554
Parks, recreation, and leisure
     studies
13 0.9 966 484 482 13 0.7 960 482 478 11 0.6 964 485 479 5 0.5 978 492 485
Personal and culinary services,
     general
6 0.4 953 485 468 7 0.4 929 474 456 5 0.3 938 478 460 2 0.2 946 483 463
Philosophy and religious studies 3 0.2 1102 566 535 3 0.2 1120 572 548 3 0.2 1132 579 553 2 0.2 1157 591 566
Physical sciences 21 1.5 1186 591 595 26 1.4 1203 597 606 25 1.3 1206 598 608 16 1.4 1226 608 617
Precision production # # 975 488 486 # # 932 466 466 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Psychology, general 64 4.4 1055 542 513 76 4.1 1064 546 518 77 4.2 1068 548 520 48 4.1 1083 556 527
Public administration and social
     service professions
6 0.4 996 511 485 8 0.4 1001 513 488 8 0.4 1007 516 491 4 0.4 1025 528 498
Security and protective services 55 3.8 973 493 480 68 3.7 975 495 479 67 3.7 973 495 478 37 3.2 975 498 477
Social sciences 27 1.9 1146 588 559 33 1.8 1164 594 570 33 1.8 1166 595 571 21 1.8 1190 607 583
Theology and religious vocations 2 0.1 1104 568 535 2 0.1 1096 561 535 2 0.1 1095 561 534 1 0.1 1112 574 538
Transportation and materials moving # # 1025 513 512 1 0.1 1019 511 508 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Visual and performing arts, general 106 7.2 1046 537 509 131 7.1 1045 536 510 126 6.9 1047 536 510 73 6.2 1052 540 512
Other 26 1.8 963 487 476 27 1.5 963 488 476 25 1.4 964 487 477 16 1.4 970 492 478
Undecided 116 7.9 1073 542 531 127 6.9 1069 538 532 163 9.0 994 501 493 125 10.7 1003 506 497
---Not available.
#Rounds to zero.
1Possible scores on each SAT section range from 200 to 800, for a total possible score of 400 to 1600.
2Includes only those test takers who responded to the question about their degree-level goal.
3Includes only those test takers who responded to the question about their intended college major.
NOTE: The SAT was completely redesigned in 2016. The new SAT was first administered in March of 2016. This table reflects 2017 through 2021 high school graduates who took the new SAT during high school. These data do not factor in performance on the old SAT, and the data for 2017 set a new baseline for future year-to-year comparisons. If a student took the new SAT more than once, the most recent score on each section is used, along with the student's most recent responses to the SAT questionnaire. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report: Total Group, 2017 through 2021, retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://reports.collegeboard.org/pdf/2021-total-group-sat-suite-assessments-annual-report.pdf. (This table was prepared October 2021. Corrections were made May 2023.)

2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest