After the gaokao, two different 'cutoff scores' (分数线) are quoted in the news and on family group chats, and they mean very different things. Mixing them up can cost a student a whole application cycle.
The batch cutoff (批次线) is set by each province. It decides which tier of institutions — first tier (一本), second tier (二本) or specialist colleges (专科) — a student may apply to at all. Score below the batch line and that entire tier is closed, however much you like a particular university in it.
The school cutoff (投档线) is set after the fact for each university and major, based on the lowest score among the students it admitted that year. This is the number a student actually has to beat to get into a specific place.
The best signal is the school cutoff over the last three years, which universities publish. A margin of roughly 10–20 points above the historical cutoff is a healthy cushion for a 'target' choice.
Regional differences are enormous. A score that clears the first-tier line in one province may only reach the second tier in another. Never compare a gaokao score with a national average — it only means something next to other candidates in the same province.