Key takeaways
Many colleges and universities have maintained or made permanent their test-optional admissions policies, while a growing number of highly selective institutions have reversed course and reinstated SAT or ACT score requirements. For students applying in the 2026 cycle, knowing exactly where each school stands and understanding how to decide whether to submit test scores is more consequential than ever.
- Both SAT and ACT scores can be used in the college admissions process, depending on the school
- Many top colleges now require test scores again, so planning ahead is important
- The college admissions process also looks at grades, essays, and activities
- Whether or not you choose to submit scores, your full application still needs to be strong
Contents
According to FairTest, over 90% of ranked US four-year colleges and universities will remain test-optional for 2026 admissions. More than 2,000 four-year institutions are currently test-optional, and an additional 85 institutions are test-free. However, a good number of the most sought-after US colleges and universities do require test scores for admissions.
Understanding the Three Testing Policies
“Students navigating test optional policies should understand how their decision fits into the broader context of college admissions, especially at selective schools. Submitting strong scores can reinforce academic rigor, while choosing not to submit requires the rest of the application to clearly demonstrate the same level of preparation and achievement”
Under a test-optional admissions policy, students may choose whether or not to submit an SAT or ACT score as part of their application. Students who apply without scores are evaluated holistically, based on GPA, coursework, essays, recommendation letters, and extracurricular activities. Test-optional schools allow scores to be submitted but do not require them, and admissions officers review scores if they are submitted. The key implication is that an applicant who submits scores is providing the admissions committee with an additional data point that may help or hurt the application, while an applicant who does not submit scores simply presents the rest of their academic profile.
Under a test-free or test-blind admissions policy, which is rarer than test-optional, schools ignore scores entirely. Some test-free schools will allow students to submit SAT or ACT scores for various scholarship purposes while still excluding them from admissions decisions.
A third category, test-flexible, requires some standardized score but allows students to choose which type. Yale uses a test-flexible policy requiring applicants to submit at least one set of standardized test scores from four options: ACT, SAT, AP, or IB exams. Students can choose which types of tests they submit.
The Ivy League Split: What Changed in 2026?
The Ivy League’s testing policies were relatively uniform during the pandemic era, when every elite institution moved to test-optional. For Fall 2026, the Ivy League is split. Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, and Cornell have all reinstated standardized testing requirements. Columbia University continues to maintain a permanent test-optional policy. Princeton University remains test-optional for the 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 cycles but has announced plans to reinstate a testing requirement for Fall 2027 and beyond.
Schools that have already reinstated testing include Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Caltech, and UT Austin. Other schools have announced they will phase out test-optional admissions over the next few years, including Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Penn, Cornell, and the University of Miami. The only Ivy that will remain indefinitely test-optional is Columbia as of now.
A student who planned their entire application strategy around not submitting scores may now find that several of their top-choice schools require them.
Top Test-Optional and Test-Free Schools for 2026
“I think holistic admissions builds a far more well-rounded, compassionate cohort on the whole”
The following tables cover the most prominent test-optional and test-free universities and liberal arts colleges for the 2026 admissions cycle. Testing policies change frequently, so students should always verify each school’s current policy directly on the institution’s admissions website before applying.
Top national universities with test-optional admissions for Fall 2026:
| School | Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | Test-optional (permanent) | “No Harm” policy: submitted scores used only if positive |
| Columbia University | Test-optional (permanent) | Only Ivy with permanent test-optional policy |
| Princeton University | Test-optional (through Fall 2026) | Reinstating requirement for Fall 2027 |
| New York University | Test-optional (2025 to 2026) | Confirm each cycle |
| University of Virginia | Test-optional (Fall 2026) | Confirm each cycle |
| USC (Southern California) | Test-optional | Long-standing policy |
| Tufts University | Test-optional (permanent) | Holistic review emphasized |
| Wake Forest University | Test-optional (permanent) | Pioneer of pre-pandemic test-optional |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Test-optional | First-year applicants |
| Indiana University Bloomington | Test-optional | |
| Texas A&M University | Test-optional | |
| University of Washington | Test-optional (permanent) | Scores used only as positive factor |
| Arizona State University | Test-optional | Not required for merit scholarships either |
| University of Arizona | Test-optional | Not required for admission or institutional merit |
Test-free institutions where scores are not considered in admissions decisions even if submitted:
| School | Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| University of California (all 9 campuses) | Test-free (permanent by law) | Scores accepted only for course placement |
| California State University (all 23 campuses) | Test-free (permanent by law) | |
| All Washington state public universities | Test-optional (permanent by state policy) | |
| All Montana state universities | Test-optional (permanent by state policy) |
California is the only state with a state-imposed ban on testing requirements for state institutions. University of California campuses have been test-free since 2021 and California State Universities since 2022. The University of California system is test-free for admissions and UC-awarded scholarships, with scores accepted only for course placement after enrollment.
Top liberal arts colleges with test-optional or test-free policies:
| Liberal Arts College | Policy |
|---|---|
| Bowdoin College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Smith College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Hamilton College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Colby College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Bates College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Colorado College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Wesleyan University | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Pitzer College | Test-free (permanent) |
| Hampshire College | Test-free (permanent) |
| Bryn Mawr College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Mount Holyoke College | Test-optional (permanent) |
| Goucher College | Test-free (permanent) |
Twenty-eight out of the nation’s top 50 liberal arts colleges have permanent test-optional policies. By contrast, among the top 50 national universities, only 13 are permanently test-optional. Students with low ACT or SAT scores who demonstrate excellence in other areas should build college lists that include a higher proportion of selective liberal arts colleges, where test-optional policies are significantly more entrenched and genuinely honored.
Bowdoin College holds a historically unique position as one of the earliest institutions to adopt a test-optional admissions policy, having made scores optional back in 1969. Its long-standing commitment to holistic review and its consistent record of producing successful graduates who applied without standardized test scores gives it stronger institutional credibility around its test-optional policy than institutions that adopted the approach primarily during the pandemic.
The University of Michigan and Other Major Public Universities
The University of Michigan remains one of the most closely watched public institutions in discussions of test-optional admissions because of its size, selectivity, and the competitive nature of its applicant pool. A former admissions reader at the University of Michigan who evaluated more than 3,500 applications notes that every college has its own testing policy, and students should always research the specific school to see which tests they accept and how they weight them within a holistic admissions review. As of the 2025 to 2026 cycle, the University of Michigan remains test-optional for first-year applicants, though this policy should be confirmed directly on the school’s admissions website for the specific cycle a student is applying in.
The University of Chicago’s Distinctive Approach
The University of Chicago represents the most nuanced test-optional policy among elite research universities. The University of Chicago states it has a “No Harm” policy for application review when considering SAT or ACT scores. Any SAT or ACT score submitted will only be used in review if it will positively affect an applicant’s chance of admission. Test scores that may negatively impact an admissions decision will not be considered in review. This structure removes the strategic risk of submitting scores entirely: a student who submits a mediocre score to UChicago faces no penalty, while a student who submits an exceptional score receives a potential benefit. This makes UChicago an institution where submitting scores whenever they are competitive is always the rational choice.
2025 Insights: What the Most Recent Admissions Data Revealed?
“I was REALLY worried about the standardized testing aspect of my application and genuinely thought I was screwed for all my apps. It ended up being ok in the end. Once you get to senior fall, you’re going to be spread so thin n stressing abt testing won’t help at all. Please study up”
The 2025 admissions cycle produced several findings that directly inform how students should approach the test-optional decision in 2026. The reversal of test-optional policies at elite institutions accelerated throughout 2024 and 2025, driven by internal research at many universities showing that test scores remain predictive of academic performance in college coursework even after controlling for socioeconomic factors.
Only a little more than a dozen colleges and universities dropped their test-optional policies in 2024, according to FairTest. This means the vast majority of institutions that went test-optional during the pandemic have maintained those policies, even as elite institutions move in the opposite direction. The divergence between the overall higher education landscape, where test-optional remains dominant, and the most selective tier, where test requirements are returning, creates a genuinely split environment for students applying in 2026.
Application numbers have risen under test-optional policies, which can make admission statistically more competitive rather than easier. Doing away with testing requirements does not necessarily improve a student’s odds of admission at highly competitive schools. Many institutions that adopted test-optional policies saw their application volumes increase by 20 to 40 percent, which drove acceptance rates down as more applicants competed for the same number of seats.
How to Decide Whether to Submit Test Scores?
The most consequential practical question for any student applying to test-optional schools is whether to submit their scores. Students who choose not to submit scores are evaluated holistically. Whether to submit scores depends on how well they strengthen the application compared with other metrics. If scores are at or above the school’s average range, submitting them is generally the right choice. If scores are below average or do not reflect academic ability, applying without them is often better.
Admissions officers at selective colleges emphasize that grades are the best indicator of college success. Grades in advanced and AP courses paint a picture of how a student might perform in a college classroom over time, rather than how they perform on a single day. The shift toward test-optional institutions should encourage a shift from excessive test prep toward a focus on academic performance, coursework rigor, and the other elements of a holistic application.
Students whose scores fall in the top quartile of a school’s reported score range should submit them, since scores at that level function as a positive signal. Students whose scores fall below the school’s middle 50 percent range should seriously consider applying without scores, since a below-median score does not strengthen an application and may draw attention away from stronger elements of the profile. Students whose scores fall within the middle 50 percent range should evaluate whether their scores are the strongest or weakest part of their application overall, submitting if other elements are relatively weaker and withholding if the rest of the application presents a stronger narrative.
Students with compelling extracurricular commitment, strong course rigor demonstrated through AP and IB performance, and essays that show genuine intellectual curiosity can present competitive applications at test-optional schools without submitting an SAT or ACT score for admission.
The full list of test-optional and test-free institutions for the Fall 2026 cycle is maintained by FairTest, which is updated regularly as institutions announce policy changes. Given how frequently testing policies are shifting, checking each school’s official admissions page within 90 days of submitting an application is the only reliable way to confirm a school’s current policy.
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Top Tips from Our Expert
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Maya Robinson, AP Program Advisor at Legacy Online School
Sources: College Board, FairTest
