Back to the full guide · Use your browser's Print command to print this page.

Which colleges require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027?

31 require scores, 94 let you choose, 7 don't consider them, and 6 have a split rule. Covers every four-year college admitting under 30% of applicants, plus large flagship public universities and a few other big state universities. Each rule was checked on the college's own admissions site on the date shown. Rules change: confirm on the college's site before you apply.

Required: send SAT or ACT scores (31)

CollegeWhat to knowChecked
Auburn University ACT or SAT scores must be on file for a complete application. Send scores by Jan 11, 2027 for extra scholarship consideration.
Brown University SAT or ACT required.
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences SAT or ACT scores required.
Caltech SAT or ACT required since fall 2025 entry.
College of the Ozarks ACT, SAT or CLT required.
Cornell University Required for fall 2026 entry and later, in every Cornell college.
Dallas Christian College Send the ACT or SAT (900 SAT or 19 ACT is the standard). CLT, TSIA and Texas state tests are also accepted.
Dartmouth College SAT or ACT required for U.S. high school applicants. International students may use AP, IB or A-level results instead.
Florida A&M University SAT or ACT required, as at every Florida public university.
Florida State University SAT or ACT required, as at every Florida public university.
Georgetown University SAT or ACT required. Georgetown does not superscore.
Georgia Tech SAT or ACT required.
Harvard University SAT or ACT required.
Johns Hopkins University Required for fall 2026 entry and later.
Kennesaw State University SAT or ACT required for first-year applicants, with minimum section scores. The CLT is accepted from fall 2027.
MIT SAT or ACT required.
Ohio State University (Columbus) The Columbus campus requires the SAT or ACT. Ohio State's regional campuses are optional.
Purdue University SAT, ACT or CLT required.
Stanford University SAT or ACT required since the fall 2026 entry cycle.
United States Air Force Academy SAT, ACT or CLT required.
United States Coast Guard Academy Test scores required. Send them by the Jan 15 deadline.
United States Military Academy SAT, ACT or CLT required. West Point superscores.
United States Naval Academy SAT, ACT or CLT required.
University of Florida SAT, ACT or CLT required.
University of Georgia SAT or ACT required. There is no test-optional route.
University of Miami SAT or ACT required for most first-year applicants. Students at high schools outside the U.S. and applicants to Architecture, Frost performance and BFA programs may apply without scores.
University of Pennsylvania SAT or ACT required for 2026-27. A hardship waiver is available.
University of Tennessee All first-year applicants must self-report an ACT or SAT score by Jan 20, 2027.
University of Texas at Austin Official SAT or ACT scores required.
Webb Institute Every applicant must send an SAT or ACT score.
Yale University Changed May 2026: SAT or ACT now required. AP or IB results alone no longer meet the requirement.

Depends on your major or GPA (6)

CollegeWhat to knowChecked
Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science applicants must send SAT or ACT scores. Engineering, Dietrich, Science, Tepper and Information Systems are test-flexible (AP or IB results can stand in), and Fine Arts is test-optional.
The Cooper Union Engineering applicants must send SAT or ACT scores. Art and Architecture applicants don't have to.
The Juilliard School Most applicants don't send SAT or ACT scores: admission is by audition. Homeschooled applicants must send official SAT or ACT scores by December 1.
LSU Scores are optional with a weighted GPA of 3.5 or higher. Below 3.5 you must send an SAT or ACT score.
UNC Chapel Hill Scores are optional with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or higher. Below 2.8 you must send an SAT (930 or higher) or ACT (17 or higher).
University of Alabama Scores are optional with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Below 3.0 you must send an SAT or ACT score.

Optional: you choose whether to send scores (94)

CollegeWhat to knowChecked
Amherst College Optional.
Arizona State University Not required. A score is one of several ways to meet ASU's admission standard.
Babson College Test-optional.
Barnard College A temporary test-optional policy covers fall 2027 entry.
Bates College Optional since 1984.
Berea College You choose whether to send scores.
Boston College Test-optional for the current cycle.
Boston University Test-optional through fall 2028 entry.
Bowdoin College Test-optional for more than 50 years.
Bryn Mawr College Test-optional for all applicants.
Bucknell University Test-optional through the 2027-28 cycle. If you enroll, Bucknell asks for a score if you have one; it does not affect admission.
Carleton College Permanently test-optional since 2025.
The Citadel Test-optional for the Corps of Cadets. South Carolina students may still want scores for the state LIFE and Palmetto scholarships.
Claremont McKenna College Optional through fall 2027 entry. Required again for fall 2028.
Clemson University Not required for 2026-27.
Colby College Test-optional.
Colgate University Optional.
College of the Holy Cross Optional since 2006.
Colorado College Test-optional.
Columbia University Optional for fall 2027 entry. Required again from fall 2028 entry.
Crown College Test-optional for the ACT, SAT or CLT. A score you send is one more thing they look at.
Curtis Institute of Music Bachelor of Music: the SAT is optional. Admission is by audition.
Davidson College Permanently test-optional.
Denison University Optional since 2008.
Duke University Test-optional for the 2026-27 cycle.
Emory University Test-optional for students starting in fall 2027.
Franklin and Marshall College Optional for more than 30 years.
Grinnell College Optional.
Hamilton College Optional.
Harvey Mudd College Test-optional for fall 2027.
Haverford College Permanently test-optional.
Helene Fuld College of Nursing You qualify with a B (80) high school average or an SAT of 800 / ACT of 14. Scores are one way to qualify, not a must.
Hillsdale College Optional. The CLT is accepted.
Indiana University Not required.
Lehigh University Test-optional, extended with no end date.
Macalester College Test-optional.
Michigan State University Optional.
Middlebury College Test-optional. Self-reported scores are accepted, and the ACT Science section is not required.
Minerva University Not required. You may add scores to your application. Minerva also uses its own online admissions challenges.
New York University Test-optional through the 2027-28 cycle.
Northeastern University Test-optional for the fall 2027 cycle.
Northeastern University Oakland You apply through Northeastern, which is test-optional.
Northwestern University Optional for the 2026-27 cycle.
Olin College of Engineering The testing requirement is suspended through 2026-27.
Penn State Test-optional.
Pomona College Permanently test-optional (Pomona plans a review in 2028-29). If you send the ACT, include the Science section.
Princeton University Optional for fall 2027 entry. Required from fall 2028 entry.
Rhode Island School of Design Test-optional.
Rice University Recommended but not required.
Rutgers (New Brunswick) Optional at New Brunswick.
Skidmore College Optional since 2016.
Smith College Test-optional since 2009.
Spelman College Test-optional.
Stony Brook University Optional, except for the Scholars for Medicine and Scholars for Dental Medicine programs.
Swarthmore College Optional for 2026-27.
Temple University Test-optional: choose it on the Common App. You can send the SAT or ACT if you want it read.
Texas A&M University Optional for 2027 entry. A score requirement has been proposed for spring and fall 2028.
Trinity Bible College and Graduate School On-campus applicants: ACT, SAT or CLT recommended, not required. The online program asks for scores.
Trinity College Not required.
Trinity University Not required.
Tufts University Test-optional for all undergraduate applicants.
Tulane University Optional for fall 2027. Required for the Pathways to Medicine program.
UMass Amherst Test-optional.
University at Buffalo Test-optional.
University of Arizona Not required for admission, scholarships or honors.
University of Chicago Optional, and UChicago uses a score only if it helps you.
University of Colorado Boulder Not required.
University of Connecticut Test-optional for the foreseeable future.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Test-optional.
University of Iowa Test-optional for general admission.
University of Kentucky Test-optional for most first-year applicants.
University of Maryland Optional through fall 2027. Later years are under review.
University of Michigan Test-optional for the fall 2027 cycle.
University of Minnesota Not required through fall 2029.
University of Missouri Optional for fall 2027.
University of Notre Dame Optional through 2026-27. Required from fall 2028 entry.
University of Oregon Test-optional.
University of Pittsburgh Optional through fall 2028.
University of Richmond Optional for students entering in 2027.
University of South Carolina Not required for 2027 entry.
University of Southern California Test-optional for fall 2027 first-year applicants.
University of Virginia You choose whether to share scores for fall 2027.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Not required from spring 2027 through spring 2028.
UVA Wise Test-optional. If you meet the GPA standard you don't need scores; an ACT of 17 or SAT of 900 is another way to qualify.
Vanderbilt University SAT or ACT optional for fall 2027 and fall 2028 entry.
Vassar College Not required.
Villanova University Test-optional through 2026-27 (class of 2031).
Virginia Tech Optional through fall 2028.
Wake Forest University Optional since 2008.
Washington and Lee University Test-optional.
Washington University in St. Louis Test-optional for fall 2027.
Wellesley College The testing requirement is suspended for 2026-27.
Wesleyan University Optional. Homeschooled applicants must send scores.
Williams College Test-optional for 2026-27.

Test-blind: scores are not considered (7)

CollegeWhat to knowChecked
Pitzer College Test-free for fall 2027 entry. Test-optional from fall 2028 entry.
Reed College Reed neither requires nor uses the SAT or ACT.
UC Berkeley UC campuses don't consider the SAT or ACT for fall 2027. Fall 2028 is under review.
UC Irvine UC campuses don't consider the SAT or ACT for fall 2027. Fall 2028 is under review.
UC San Diego UC campuses don't consider the SAT or ACT for fall 2027. Fall 2028 is under review.
UCLA UC campuses don't consider the SAT or ACT for fall 2027. Fall 2028 is under review.
University of Washington Scores aren't used in admission review. Only homeschooled applicants and those without standard grades must send them.

Optional schools: send scores when they are at or above the college's middle 50% range. Several colleges return to requiring scores for fall 2028 entry (Princeton, Columbia, Notre Dame, Claremont McKenna), so juniors should plan to test. Free planner with each college's score range and your odds: Shortlist · shortlist.college/planner. Last checked 2–5 November 2026.