Test-optional and test-blind colleges for fall 2027

What the terms mean

• Test-optional means you decide. If you send a score, the college reads it. If you don't, it won't count against you.
• Test-blind (also called test-free) means the college doesn't use scores at all. Sending one changes nothing.
• Required means no score, no complete application.

A fourth group has split rules, where the answer depends on your GPA or the program you apply to.

Test-blind for fall 2027 (7)

• 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 Irvine, UC San Diego and 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.

Test-optional for fall 2027 (94)

Claremont McKenna College, Columbia University, Princeton University and University of Notre Dame are optional for fall 2027 entry but require scores again from fall 2028. If you're a junior, plan to test. UChicago is optional with a no-harm policy: it uses a score only if it helps you. Rice calls scores recommended but not required.

The full list: Amherst College, Arizona State University, Babson College, Barnard College, Bates College, Berea College, Boston College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Bryn Mawr College, Bucknell University, Carleton College, The Citadel, Claremont McKenna College, Clemson University, Colby College, Colgate University, College of the Holy Cross, Colorado College, Columbia University, Crown College, Curtis Institute of Music, Davidson College, Denison University, Duke University, Emory University, Franklin and Marshall College, Grinnell College, Hamilton College, Harvey Mudd College, Haverford College, Helene Fuld College of Nursing, Hillsdale College, Indiana University, Lehigh University, Macalester College, Michigan State University, Middlebury College, Minerva University, New York University, Northeastern University, Northeastern University Oakland, Northwestern University, Olin College of Engineering, Penn State, Pomona College, Princeton University, Rhode Island School of Design, Rice University, Rutgers (New Brunswick), Skidmore College, Smith College, Spelman College, Stony Brook University, Swarthmore College, Temple University, Texas A&M University, Trinity Bible College and Graduate School, Trinity College, Trinity University, Tufts University, Tulane University, UMass Amherst, University at Buffalo, University of Arizona, University of Chicago, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Iowa, University of Kentucky, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of Notre Dame, University of Oregon, University of Pittsburgh, University of Richmond, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin-Madison, UVA Wise, Vanderbilt University, Vassar College, Villanova University, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University, Washington and Lee University, Washington University in St. Louis, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University and Williams College.

Required for fall 2027 (31)

Auburn University, Brown University, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, Caltech, College of the Ozarks, Cornell University, Dallas Christian College, Dartmouth College, Florida A&M University, Florida State University, Georgetown University, Georgia Tech, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Kennesaw State University, MIT, Ohio State University (Columbus), Purdue University, Stanford University, United States Air Force Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Miami, University of Pennsylvania, University of Tennessee, University of Texas at Austin, Webb Institute and Yale University.

Yale changed its rule in May 2026: you now need the SAT or ACT, and AP or IB scores alone no longer count. Our SAT/ACT guide has the details and the link for every one of these.

Split rules (6)

• 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.

Should you send your score?

The rule of thumb our planner uses: send it if it's at or above the college's middle 50% range for admitted students. If it's below that range, most applicants are better off without it.

So the same score can be worth sending to one college and holding from another. A 1300 might help at one school and hurt at the next. Look up each college's range, not a national average.

• Some colleges use scores for merit scholarships even when admission is test-optional. Check the scholarship page as well as the admissions page.
• Homeschooled students often face a stricter rule, even at test-optional or test-blind colleges. The University of Washington and Juilliard both ask them for scores.
• Rules change. Yale changed mid-cycle. Check each college's testing page when you build your list and again before you submit.

The quickest way to sort this out for your own list is the planner. Put in your score (or leave it blank), add your colleges, and it shows each one's testing rule next to your odds. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

About this list

We left out 13 colleges whose own pages didn't give a clear fall 2027 rule. If a college you care about isn't here, confirm on the college's site.