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 2023

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Table 226.30.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 2023
Degree-level goal and intended college major	2017					2021					2022					2023
	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	1,509	100.0	1060	533	528	1,738	100.0	1050	529	521	1,914	100.0	1028	520	508
Degree-level goal²
Certificate program	12	0.9	925	466	460	13	1.3	911	460	451	14	1.3	914	463	451	18	1.6	903	459	445
Associate's degree	21	1.6	900	457	444	96	9.7	1031	524	507	23	2.2	893	457	436	26	2.3	868	445	423
Bachelor's degree	362	27.4	1038	524	513	233	23.7	1058	533	525	301	27.7	1052	532	520	302	27.1	1047	531	515
Master's degree	435	32.9	1104	555	549	301	30.7	1136	568	568	326	30.0	1138	570	567	331	29.7	1132	569	563
Doctor's or related degree	305	23.1	1138	573	565	209	21.3	1187	594	593	233	21.4	1176	590	586	228	20.5	1168	588	580
Other	9	0.7	918	458	460	6	0.6	912	454	458	10	0.9	920	461	459	12	1.1	916	459	457
Undecided	176	13.3	1064	537	527	125	12.7	1089	545	543	178	16.4	1075	542	533	198	17.8	1058	535	523
Intended college major³
Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences	17	1.2	1003	508	495	16	1.4	977	497	480	18	1.5	985	502	484	20	1.7	956	489	467
Architecture and related services	20	1.4	1056	524	531	21	1.8	1051	523	528	24	2.0	1060	530	530	24	2.0	1054	529	525
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies	2	0.1	1084	561	523	2	0.1	1029	530	500	2	0.2	1051	544	507	3	0.2	991	514	477
Biological and biomedical sciences	107	7.3	1132	571	561	107	9.1	1158	582	576	118	9.9	1154	581	572	114	9.5	1145	579	566
Business, management, marketing, and related support services	167	11.4	1072	536	537	143	12.2	1081	540	541	158	13.2	1075	538	537	166	13.8	1058	532	526
Communication, journalism, and related programs	30	2.1	1071	552	519	20	1.7	1071	552	519	21	1.7	1074	555	519	20	1.6	1062	551	511
Computer and information sciences and support services	56	3.8	1143	568	575	62	5.3	1182	582	600	75	6.3	1182	583	599	84	7.0	1180	583	597
Construction trades, general	1	0.1	958	479	479	1	0.1	951	478	473	2	0.1	943	474	468	3	0.2	915	462	453
Education	57	3.9	1032	525	507	38	3.2	1033	526	507	39	3.3	1031	526	504	37	3.1	1023	525	498
Engineering	156	10.6	1140	560	580	120	10.2	1167	573	595	115	9.6	1177	578	599	116	9.7	1174	579	596
Engineering technologies/technicians	24	1.7	1047	516	532	19	1.6	1072	526	546	16	1.3	1093	536	558	17	1.4	1094	538	556
English language and literature/ letters	15	1.0	1124	591	533	8	0.7	1148	602	546	8	0.7	1157	608	549	9	0.8	1143	603	540
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences	4	0.3	969	493	476	3	0.2	974	497	478	2	0.2	982	501	481	3	0.2	971	498	473
Foreign languages and literatures, general	7	0.5	1116	575	541	5	0.4	1121	576	545	5	0.4	1127	582	544	4	0.4	1117	577	540
Health professions and related clinical sciences	278	18.9	1045	529	516	194	16.6	1053	533	520	170	14.2	1052	533	518	158	13.1	1039	529	510
History, general	11	0.7	1086	562	524	7	0.6	1134	587	546	6	0.5	1146	596	551	7	0.6	1121	583	537
Legal studies, general	29	2.0	1084	555	530	24	2.0	1122	575	547	28	2.3	1114	572	542	24	2.0	1111	572	538
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities	8	0.5	1116	575	541	5	0.4	1181	604	577	5	0.5	1159	595	564	5	0.5	1140	588	552
Library science/librarianship	#	#	1118	585	533	#	#	1167	617	549	#	#	1147	610	536	0	#	1136	600	536
Mathematics and statistics	11	0.7	1228	592	636	12	1.0	1273	612	661	10	0.9	1280	617	663	11	0.9	1269	614	655
Mechanic and repair technologies/ technicians	3	0.2	937	466	470	2	0.2	949	475	473	4	0.3	943	475	468	5	0.4	926	468	457
Military technologies	7	0.5	986	498	488	4	0.3	1003	508	496	3	0.2	1012	514	498	3	0.2	995	507	488
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	2	0.2	1160	586	575	2	0.2	1199	602	597	2	0.1	1210	610	601	2	0.2	1187	600	588
Natural resources and conservation	8	0.6	1095	558	537	6	0.5	1132	577	554	7	0.6	1151	590	561	7	0.6	1149	592	558
Parks, recreation, and leisure studies	13	0.9	966	484	482	5	0.5	978	492	485	5	0.4	985	497	488	5	0.4	978	497	481
Personal and culinary services, general	6	0.4	953	485	468	2	0.2	946	483	463	4	0.3	945	484	461	4	0.3	932	481	452
Philosophy and religious studies	3	0.2	1102	566	535	2	0.2	1157	591	566	2	0.2	1163	598	566	2	0.2	1149	594	555
Physical sciences	21	1.5	1186	591	595	16	1.4	1226	608	617	16	1.3	1221	608	613	16	1.3	1208	603	605
Precision production	#	#	975	488	486	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Psychology, general	64	4.4	1055	542	513	48	4.1	1083	556	527	55	4.6	1076	554	521	58	4.8	1064	551	514
Public administration and social service professions	6	0.4	996	511	485	4	0.4	1025	528	498	4	0.3	1030	530	500	4	0.3	1022	528	494
Security and protective services	55	3.8	973	493	480	37	3.2	975	498	477	30	2.5	981	503	479	27	2.2	974	501	473
Social sciences	27	1.9	1146	588	559	21	1.8	1190	607	583	21	1.8	1193	611	582	20	1.7	1177	604	574
Theology and religious vocations	2	0.1	1104	568	535	1	0.1	1112	574	538	1	0.1	1097	565	532	1	0.1	1086	560	527
Transportation and materials moving	#	#	1025	513	512	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
Visual and performing arts, general	106	7.2	1046	537	509	73	6.2	1052	540	512	64	5.4	1060	547	513	63	5.2	1054	546	508
Other	26	1.8	963	487	476	16	1.4	970	492	478	15	1.2	984	500	484	18	1.5	968	493	475
Undecided	116	7.9	1073	542	531	125	10.7	1003	506	497	140	11.7	1009	511	498	143	11.9	991	504	487
---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 2023 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 2023, retrieved December 6, 2023, from https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/2023-total-group-sat-suite-of-assessments-annual-report%20ADA.pdf. (This table was prepared December 2023.)

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