Last Updated on September 30, 2026
Quick answer: Standardized testing policies at top US universities fall into four groups: test required, test optional, test flexible, and test blind. Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell now require the SAT or ACT, while Princeton, Columbia, and Notre Dame will require scores for fall 2028 entry. Always confirm each school’s current policy.
Types of Standardized Testing Policies
Over the years, the college admissions landscape has changed vastly, with many events and circumstances changing how schools process applications. One of the most significant changes over the past few years has occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which many students lost access to standardized testing. Because of this, many US colleges, especially those at the top level, changed their testing policies to make applications more accessible for students. However, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have subsided, many schools have reverted their pandemic-era policies, leaving many students and families unsure which standardized testing policies now apply to them. [1]
Here, InGenius Prep presents a list of the standardized testing policies for the top US schools, including Test Required, Test Optional, Test Flexible, and Test Blind policies.
Test Required:Colleges with test-required policies ask all applicants to submit standardized test scores, as outlined in our guide to SAT requirements at top colleges. Usually, these include SAT or ACT test scores, with many schools quoting that these test scores are solid indicators of students’ potential performance at their institution. [2]
However, many top schools with “Test Required” policies employ holistic review and will consider all aspects of a student’s application in their decisions, not just their test scores.
Test Optional:A policy in which students can choose whether or not to include their test scores with their college applications. Students can opt not to submit their test scores. However, admissions officers at the top schools will still consider other factors when selecting candidates, such as applicants’ academic performance and extracurricular accomplishments.
Even if students decide not to submit their test scores, they must still display solid candidacy in other areas of their student profile.
Test Blind:Schools that are test-blind will not consider test scores in their applicant reviews. Whether students submit test scores or not, they will not play a factor in an applicant’s acceptance but may help in course selection.
Four universities in the table below, all University of California campuses, are test blind. UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions, though scores may be used for course placement after enrollment. [3]
Test Flexible:Test-flexible policies still require students to take the SAT or ACT test, but some students can substitute these tests for others, such as with AP/ IB scores. This is sometimes a good option for international students or those who do not have access to SAT or ACT tests, and only a few top schools use this approach. Dartmouth requires the SAT or ACT from students at US high schools but lets international applicants meet the requirement with AP, IB, A-Level, or national exam results. [4] Carnegie Mellon uses a test-flexible policy for most of its colleges. [5]
How to Read the Table Below
The table lists each university’s general policy for first-year applicants. Many schools add details that a single label cannot capture: some offer hardship waivers, some treat international or homeschooled applicants differently, and some set rules by college or major. Use the table as a starting point, then open each school’s testing page to confirm the specifics, including whether it superscores, which test dates it accepts, and how it wants scores reported.
Self-reporting is now common at selective schools. MIT and Stanford, for example, let you self-report your SAT or ACT scores on the application and ask for official score reports only if you enroll.
Standardized Testing Policies at the Top 30 U.S. Universities
School
Testing Policy
Princeton University
Test Optional (required for fall 2028 entry)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Test Required
Harvard University
Test Required (with some exceptions allowing substitutions)
Stanford
Test Required
Yale University
Test Required
University of Pennsylvania
Test Required
California Institute of Technology
Test Required
Duke University
Test Optional
Johns Hopkins University
Test Required
Northwestern University
Test Optional
Brown University
Test Required (with some exceptions allowing substitutions)
University of Chicago
Test Optional (Permanent)
Cornell University
Test Required
Columbia University
Test Optional (required for fall 2028 entry)
UCB
Test Blind
UCLA
Test Blind
Rice University
Test Optional (scores recommended)
Dartmouth College
Test Required (American High Schools)
Test Flexible (Others)
Vanderbilt University
Test Optional (required for fall 2029 entry)
University of Notre Dame
Test Optional (required for fall 2028 entry)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Test Optional
Georgetown University
Test Required
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Test Optional (weighted GPA of 2.8 or above)
Washington University in St. Louis
Test Optional
Carnegie Mellon University
Test Flexible (SAT or ACT required for computer science)
Emory University
Test Optional
UCD
Test Blind
University of Florida
Test Required
UCSD
Test Blind
University of Southern California
Test Optional
Recent Changes to Standardized Testing Policies
The biggest shift at highly selective schools has been a return to required testing. Yale now asks all first-year and transfer applicants to include SAT or ACT scores; AP and IB results are encouraged but no longer replace them. [6] Harvard requires the SAT or ACT and accepts AP, IB, A-Level, or national exam results only in exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible. [7] Stanford, where scores were optional for the Class of 2029, now requires the ACT or SAT. [8] Penn also requires scores, with a hardship waiver available to applicants who cannot meet the requirement. [9] MIT, Caltech, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins all require testing as well. Dartmouth, one of the first to reinstate its requirement, explained that scores help its admissions team identify promising students, including those from less-resourced backgrounds. [2] Read more about Harvard’s return to required testing and Yale’s new policy.
Schools Moving to Required Testing
Several universities remain test optional for now but have announced a requirement for future classes. If you are a high school sophomore or junior, build these dates into your plans:
- Princeton University: SAT or ACT required for students seeking to enroll in fall 2028. [10]
- Columbia University: required testing for first-year and transfer applicants starting in August 2027, for students entering in fall 2028, with waivers available. [11]
- University of Notre Dame: ACT or SAT required for students seeking to enroll in fall 2028. [12]
- Vanderbilt University: scores required for students entering in fall 2029 and beyond. [13]
Schools That Remain Test Optional
Duke, Northwestern, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Southern California currently let applicants decide whether to submit scores. Rice is test optional but recommends that applicants submit SAT or ACT scores if they have them. [14] A test-optional policy means you will receive full consideration without scores; it does not mean scores carry no weight when you do send them.
Should You Submit Scores Under Test-Optional Policies?
At a test-optional school, your decision should rest on how your score compares with the school’s admitted students. If your SAT or ACT result falls at or above the middle 50% range the school publishes in its class profile, submitting it usually adds a useful data point to your application. If it falls well below that range, your transcript, course rigor, essays, and activities may present a clearer picture on their own.
Keep in mind that a score can help you most when other parts of your file leave questions open, such as a school with an unfamiliar grading scale or a dip in grades during one year. For a deeper look at this decision, read should you submit your SAT score to test-optional schools, and review our list of test-optional colleges if you are building a balanced college list.
International applicants should read each school’s policy closely. Some universities accept alternatives such as AP, IB, or A-Level results from students outside the US, while others expect the SAT or ACT from everyone. If you study in a system with national exams, find out early whether those results can count toward a school’s requirement.
How to Plan Around Changing Testing Policies
Because standardized testing policies change often, confirm each school’s rules on its official admissions website before you finalize your college list. Then plan your testing so that a score is ready well before your earliest deadline:
- Take a diagnostic SAT and ACT to see which test suits you, using an ACT to SAT conversion to compare results.
- Schedule your first official test in the spring of junior year so you have time to retake it in the summer or fall.
- If you plan to apply early, finish testing by the fall of senior year, since many schools set an earlier last test date for early applicants. WashU, for example, accepts October scores for Early Decision I applicants.
- Check whether your schools superscore, so you know how many sittings make sense.
- Note any program-specific rules, such as Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science, which requires the SAT or ACT. [5]
Planning this way keeps your options open. Even if every school on your list is test optional today, a score in hand lets you decide school by school instead of ruling out programs that require testing.
Finally, keep a simple tracker with each school’s policy, the date you checked it, and any notes about waivers or program rules. Revisit it before you submit, since schools sometimes announce updates over the summer or early fall.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Higher education is a highly competitive landscape, and schools’ policies and standards change over time. Some have deemed this previous admissions cycle one of the most chaotic in recent memory, and schools continue to change their policies to better suit their missions and their students, such as Harvard, UT-Austin, and Yale, which have all reinstated required testing.
As the college admissions landscape continues to change over the years, InGenius Prep is here to guide you with the best in college admissions strategy, with expert insights from our team of Former Admissions Officers and professionals in the education sector.
Get a clear, honest read on which path actually fits your goals, and the specific next steps to build a competitive application. Click here to book your complimentary consultation.