{"answer":"20 of the 35 colleges in our table require an SAT or ACT score from fall 2027 applicants, and 15 of them name the first class that had to send one. Those first classes run from fall 2022 at the University of Georgia to fall 2029 at Vanderbilt, which is still test optional today.","as_of":"October 2026","date":"2026-10-15","dek":"The table holds all 35 colleges we checked, each one's policy for fall 2027, the first class required to send a score and the page it was read from. Fourteen are still optional.","faq":[{"a":"20 of the 35 colleges in our table require an SAT or ACT score from fall 2027 applicants, and 15 of them name the first class that had to send one.","q":"How many colleges have brought back the SAT requirement?"},{"a":"Princeton, Columbia and Notre Dame are all test optional for fall 2027 applicants. All three require a score from students entering in fall 2028.","q":"Is Princeton going to require the SAT again?"},{"a":"The ten with no return date are Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Wisconsin, Illinois, Washington University in St. Louis, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Emory and Chicago.","q":"Is Michigan test optional?"}],"findings":[{"h":"The requirement came back at the most selective colleges first.","p":"MIT went first, for a class entering around fall 2023; its own announcement does not name the year. Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Caltech and UT Austin followed in fall 2025. Cornell, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Ohio State and Miami followed in fall 2026. Tennessee comes next, in fall 2027."},{"h":"Three colleges have already named fall 2028.","p":"Princeton, Columbia and Notre Dame are all test optional for fall 2027 applicants. All three require a score from students entering in fall 2028. Vanderbilt stays optional one year longer and requires a score from fall 2029. A current junior and a current freshman are not looking at the same rule at any of them."},{"h":"Five of the 20 may never have dropped the test at all.","p":"Georgetown, Purdue, Georgia Tech, the University of Florida and Florida State all require a score now. None of their pages names a first required class, which is what a return would leave behind. Georgia is the clear case of a short pause: one optional cycle in fall 2021, then required again in fall 2022."}],"license":"CC BY 4.0 \u2014 quote with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach)","method":"Each row is the first-year testing policy stated on that college's own admissions page or news release in October 2026, for the application cycle now open, which is fall 2027 entry, together with the first entering class the college says had to send a score and the date it announced the change. The table covers the colleges we checked, mostly the selective names families ask about, so it is not a census of American colleges. Four limits ride with it: the University of Virginia's and Cooper Union's admissions pages would not load for us, so neither college is in the table; MIT's own announcement does not state the first required class, so its year is marked approximate; and five colleges that require a score today name no first class, which may mean they never dropped it. Rows are sorted by the first class required and then by college name.","question":"Which colleges have brought back the SAT or ACT requirement?","related":[{"label":"Test policy at public universities, state by state","url":"/test-policy"},{"label":"Test policy at the 50 most-applied-to private colleges","url":"/research/private-college-test-policy-2026"},{"label":"Colleges that will not look at a score at all","url":"/research/test-blind-colleges-2026"},{"label":"SAT or ACT, which one to take","url":"https://www.prepgurus.com/sat-vs-act"}],"sections":[{"h2":"The colleges that are still test optional","paragraphs":["Fourteen colleges in the table leave the score to the student for fall 2027. Princeton, Columbia and Notre Dame are on that list, with fall 2028 already announced, and so is Vanderbilt with fall 2029. The ten with no return date are Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, Wisconsin, Illinois, Washington University in St. Louis, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Emory and Chicago.","Four of those ten come with a condition to read closely. UNC Chapel Hill is optional only above a weighted grade point average of 2.8; below that a student must send a score. Illinois is optional because state law says so for every public university in Illinois. Wisconsin's waiver is authorized through the spring 2028 term. Rice says a score is recommended, not required.","Yale is the college that changed shape rather than direction. It used to take an AP or IB score in place of an SAT or ACT. From the cycle now open it takes the SAT or ACT only."]},{"h2":"One college sets the rule school by school","paragraphs":["Carnegie Mellon has no single policy. Its School of Computer Science requires an SAT or ACT. Most of its other colleges require a score from some accepted exam. Its College of Fine Arts is optional. At Carnegie Mellon, the school a student applies to decides the answer."]},{"h2":"What a family should do with this","paragraphs":["Sort the student's list by what it asks for. If one college on it requires a score, the student is taking the test, and the plan is the same as if every college did.","Read the first-class column by the student's graduation year, not by today. A sophomore applying for fall 2028 entry faces Princeton, Columbia and Notre Dame as required colleges. A senior applying now does not.","Then check each college's own page in the fall of senior year. These policies have moved every year since 2020, in both directions, and the college's page is always newer than a table."]}],"slug":"colleges-that-brought-back-the-sat","sources":[{"label":"MIT: Q&A on SAT/ACT reinstatement (MIT News)","url":"https://news.mit.edu/2022/stuart-schmill-sat-act-requirement-0328"},{"label":"Georgetown: High School Credits and Standardized Testing FAQ","url":"https://uadmissions.georgetown.edu/faq/faq-high-school-credits-and-tests/"},{"label":"Purdue: Need-to-Know Updates for Counselors","url":"https://admissions.purdue.edu/support-your-student/counselors/need-to-know/"},{"label":"Dartmouth: FAQ: Standardized Testing Reactivation","url":"https://home.dartmouth.edu/news/sat-reactivate-faqs"},{"label":"Yale: Announcement of new test-flexible admissions policy (2024)","url":"https://news.yale.edu/2024/02/22/yale-announces-new-test-flexible-admissions-policy"},{"label":"Yale: Application Update 2026-2027","url":"https://admissions.yale.edu/posts/2026-08-17-application-update-2026-2027"},{"label":"Brown: University news release reinstating test requirement","url":"https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-03-05/admissions"},{"label":"Harvard: Return to Required Testing (FAS)","url":"https://www.fas.harvard.edu/2024/04/11/return-to-required-testing"},{"label":"Caltech: Caltech Restores Standardized Test Requirement","url":"https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-restores-standardized-test-requirement-for-undergraduate-admission"},{"label":"Cornell: Cornell to reinstate standardized test requirements for fall 2026","url":"https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/04/cornell-reinstate-standardized-test-requirements-fall-2026"},{"label":"Penn: Penn reinstates standardized testing for undergraduate admissions","url":"https://penntoday.upenn.edu/announcements/penn-reinstates-standardized-testing-undergraduate-admissions"},{"label":"Johns Hopkins: Application Deadlines & Requirements","url":"https://apply.jhu.edu/how-to-apply/application-deadlines-requirements/"},{"label":"Stanford: Standardized Testing page","url":"https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/testing.html"},{"label":"Carnegie Mellon: Standardized Testing policy by school","url":"https://admission-pantheon.cmu.edu/admission/standardized-testing"},{"label":"UT Austin: UT Austin Reinstates Standardized Test Scores in Admissions","url":"https://news.utexas.edu/2024/03/11/ut-austin-reinstates-standardized-test-scores-in-admissions/"},{"label":"Georgia Tech: Standardized Tests requirement page","url":"https://visits.gatech.edu/first-year/standardized-tests"},{"label":"UGA: Fall 2022 and Test Scores (admissions blog)","url":"https://admissions.uga.edu/blog/fall-2022-and-test-scores/"},{"label":"Florida Board of Governors Regulation 6.002 (FTIC admission, SAT/ACT/CLT requirement)","url":"https://www.flbog.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Regulation-6.002.pdf"},{"label":"Ohio State: Ohio State shares decision on test requirements","url":"https://news.osu.edu/ohio-state-shares-decision-on-test-requirements/"},{"label":"University of Miami: Standardized test score policy reinstated for fall 2026","url":"https://news.miami.edu/stories/2025/01/standardized-test-score-policy-reinstated-for-fall-2026-undergraduate-admissions-cycle.html"},{"label":"University of Miami: Testing Policy page (test-optional end date)","url":"https://admissions.miami.edu/undergraduate/application-process/admission-requirements/test-optional-admissions/index.html"},{"label":"UT Knoxville: First Year Test Score Policy","url":"https://admissions.utk.edu/undergraduate-application/test-score-policy/"},{"label":"Cooper Union: Test Optional Program page","url":"https://cooper.edu/cooper.edu/about/admissions/test-opt"},{"label":"Princeton: Standardized Testing Policy page","url":"https://admission.princeton.edu/apply/standardized-testing"},{"label":"Columbia: Update on Columbia College and Columbia Engineering Testing Policy","url":"https://communications.news.columbia.edu/news/update-columbia-college-and-columbia-engineering-testing-policy"},{"label":"Michigan: Test-optional Policy for SAT and ACT (TeamDynamix KB article, umich.edu)","url":"https://teamdynamix.umich.edu/TDClient/154/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=7490"},{"label":"UNC Chapel Hill: 'How does UNC look at ACT or SAT test scores?' FAQ","url":"https://admissions.unc.edu/faqs/how-does-unc-look-at-act-or-sat-test-scores/"},{"label":"Wisconsin: Apply as a First-Year Student page","url":"https://admissions.wisc.edu/apply-as-a-freshman/"},{"label":"Illinois: How to Apply: First-Year page","url":"https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/freshman/process"},{"label":"Washington University in St. Louis: First-Year U.S. Applicants page","url":"https://admissions.washu.edu/how-to-apply/first-year-us-applicants/"},{"label":"Duke: Resources + FAQs","url":"https://admissions.duke.edu/resources/"},{"label":"Vanderbilt: Testing Policies page","url":"https://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/apply/testing-policies/"},{"label":"Northwestern: Standardized Testing Policy FAQ","url":"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/"},{"label":"Rice: First-Year Domestic Applicants page","url":"https://admission.rice.edu/apply/first-year-domestic-applicants"},{"label":"Emory: Standardized Exam Policies page","url":"https://apply.emory.edu/apply/first-year/tips/standardized-exam-policies.html"},{"label":"Notre Dame: Apply FAQs page","url":"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/faqs/"},{"label":"UChicago: Required Materials page","url":"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/"}],"tables":[{"columns":[{"fmt":"str","key":"college","label":"College"},{"fmt":"str","key":"policy_2026","label":"Policy for fall 2027 applicants"},{"fmt":"str","key":"first_class_required","label":"First class required"},{"fmt":"str","key":"announced","label":"Announced"},{"fmt":"url","key":"source_url","label":"College's page"}],"h2":"Test policy and the first class required, at the colleges we checked","intro":"Sorted by the first class that had to send a score; colleges whose pages name no such class come last.","note":"First-year applicant policy as each college's own admissions page or news release stated it in October 2026, for the application cycle now open, which is fall 2027 entry. The first class required is the first entering class that had to send a score, in the college's own words; a blank means the page did not state one, and for five of these colleges that may mean the requirement never lapsed. Carnegie Mellon sets the rule school by school, so its row carries a sentence instead of one label. These are the colleges we checked, not every college in the country, and a policy covers one cycle at a time.","rows":[{"announced":"2021-05","college":"University of Georgia","first_class_required":"fall 2022 (after a single test-optional cycle, fall 2021)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"the twenty-six USG colleges and universities for the state of Georgia will be requiring submission of an SAT or ACT score for admission for First Year students applying for the Spring/Summer/Fall 2022 terms and subsequent semesters.","source_url":"https://admissions.uga.edu/blog/fall-2022-and-test-scores/","unitid":null},{"announced":"2022-03","college":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)","first_class_required":"fall 2023 (approximate; MIT's own text I retrieved did not state the exact year)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"MIT Admissions announced today that it will reinstate its requirement that applicants submit scores from an SAT or ACT exam.","source_url":"https://news.mit.edu/2022/stuart-schmill-sat-act-requirement-0328","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-03","college":"Brown University","first_class_required":"fall 2025 (Class of 2029)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"Starting with next year's application cycle (effective for the Class of 2029), Brown will reinstate the requirement that applicants for first-year admission submit standardized tests scores","source_url":"https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-03-05/admissions","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-04","college":"California Institute of Technology (Caltech)","first_class_required":"fall 2025","policy_2026":"required","quote":"all students who apply to Caltech beginning in fall 2024 and would enroll in fall 2025 are required to report test scores as part of their application.","source_url":"https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-restores-standardized-test-requirement-for-undergraduate-admission","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-02","college":"Dartmouth College","first_class_required":"fall 2025 (Class of 2029)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"we are lifting that extended pause and reactivating the standardized testing requirement for undergraduate admission","source_url":"https://home.dartmouth.edu/news/sat-reactivate-faqs","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-04","college":"Harvard College","first_class_required":"fall 2025 (Class of 2029)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"Students applying to Harvard College for fall 2025 admission will be required to submit standardized test scores.","source_url":"https://www.fas.harvard.edu/2024/04/11/return-to-required-testing","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-03","college":"University of Texas at Austin","first_class_required":"fall 2025","policy_2026":"required","quote":"The University of Texas at Austin will return to requiring standardized testing scores, beginning with applications for the Fall 2025 semester.","source_url":"https://news.utexas.edu/2024/03/11/ut-austin-reinstates-standardized-test-scores-in-admissions/","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-02 (initial); 2026-08 (narrowed to SAT/ACT only)","college":"Yale University","first_class_required":"fall 2025 (first reinstated as test-flexible: SAT/ACT/AP/IB); narrowed to SAT-or-ACT-only starting fall 2027 applicants","policy_2026":"required","quote":"After four years with a test-optional policy that allowed applicants to decide whether or not to submit test scores, Yale will resume requiring scores of all applicants.","source_url":"https://news.yale.edu/2024/02/22/yale-announces-new-test-flexible-admissions-policy","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-04","college":"Cornell University","first_class_required":"fall 2026 (all eight undergraduate colleges)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"Cornell will reinstitute standardized testing requirements for students seeking undergraduate admission for fall 2026 enrollment","source_url":"https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/04/cornell-reinstate-standardized-test-requirements-fall-2026","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-08","college":"Johns Hopkins University","first_class_required":"fall 2026 (Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Whiting School of Engineering; not the Peabody Institute)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"Johns Hopkins University requires standardized testing.","source_url":"https://apply.jhu.edu/how-to-apply/application-deadlines-requirements/","unitid":null},{"announced":"2025","college":"Ohio State University (Columbus campus)","first_class_required":"fall 2026 (2026 admissions cycle)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"The Ohio State University today announced the reinstatement of the ACT/SAT test requirement for all new first-year undergraduate applicants to the Columbus campus in the 2026 admissions cycle and beyond.","source_url":"https://news.osu.edu/ohio-state-shares-decision-on-test-requirements/","unitid":null},{"announced":"2024-06","college":"Stanford University","first_class_required":"fall 2026 (Class of 2030)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"ACT or SAT scores are required.","source_url":"https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/testing.html","unitid":null},{"announced":"2025-01","college":"University of Miami","first_class_required":"fall 2026","policy_2026":"required","quote":"The University of Miami will once again require prospective students to include standardized test scores as part of their undergraduate admissions application beginning with students applying to enter the University in the Fall 2026 semester.","source_url":"https://news.miami.edu/stories/2025/01/standardized-test-score-policy-reinstated-for-fall-2026-undergraduate-admissions-cycle.html","unitid":null},{"announced":"2025-02","college":"University of Pennsylvania","first_class_required":"fall 2026","policy_2026":"required","quote":"Beginning with the 2025-2026 undergraduate admissions cycle, Penn is reinstating a standardized testing requirement for applicants","source_url":"https://penntoday.upenn.edu/announcements/penn-reinstates-standardized-testing-undergraduate-admissions","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of Tennessee, Knoxville","first_class_required":"fall 2027 (self-report deadline January 20, 2027)","policy_2026":"required","quote":"All first-year undergraduate students are required to self-report their ACT or SAT scores as part of their application for admission by January 20, 2027.","source_url":"https://admissions.utk.edu/undergraduate-application/test-score-policy/","unitid":null},{"announced":"2026-06","college":"Columbia University (Columbia College and Columbia Engineering)","first_class_required":"fall 2028 (effective August 2027 for the 2027-28 cycle; not yet in effect for fall 2027 applicants)","policy_2026":"optional (through the 2026-2027 admissions cycle; required starting the 2027-2028 cycle)","quote":"Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will remain test optional for the upcoming 2026-2027 admissions cycle.","source_url":"https://communications.news.columbia.edu/news/update-columbia-college-and-columbia-engineering-testing-policy","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Princeton University","first_class_required":"fall 2028 (announced, not yet in effect for fall 2027 applicants)","policy_2026":"optional (for fall 2027 applicants; a required policy is announced starting fall 2028)","quote":"Princeton will return to requiring standardized testing for undergraduate admission beginning with the 2027-28 admission cycle.","source_url":"https://admission.princeton.edu/apply/standardized-testing","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of Notre Dame","first_class_required":"fall 2028 (announced, not yet in effect)","policy_2026":"optional (through the 2026-27 cycle; required starting the 2027-28 cycle / fall 2028)","quote":"The University of Notre Dame is test-optional through the 2026-2027 academic year.","source_url":"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/faqs/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Vanderbilt University","first_class_required":"fall 2029 (announced, not yet in effect)","policy_2026":"optional (through fall 2028; required starting fall 2029)","quote":"Vanderbilt University will continue its test-optional policy for students applying for undergraduate admission to the classes entering in the fall of 2027 or 2028.","source_url":"https://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/apply/testing-policies/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Carnegie Mellon University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"mixed by school -- required only for the School of Computer Science; most other colleges are test-flexible (a score of some kind, not necessarily SAT/ACT, is required); College of Fine Arts is test-optional","quote":"The following colleges and programs operate on a test flexible policy: College of Engineering, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Heinz College's Information Systems program, Mellon College of Science, Tepper School of Business.","source_url":"https://admission-pantheon.cmu.edu/admission/standardized-testing","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Duke University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional","quote":"Duke University will be test-optional for both first-year and transfer applicants in the 2026-2027 admissions cycle.","source_url":"https://admissions.duke.edu/resources/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Emory University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional","quote":"Emory University is Test Optional for the 2026-2027 application cycle.","source_url":"https://apply.emory.edu/apply/first-year/tips/standardized-exam-policies.html","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Florida State University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"required (covered by the same statewide Board of Governors Regulation 6.002 as all Florida State University System institutions)","quote":"FTIC students applying for admission must submit SAT scores from the College Board, ACT scores from ACT, Inc, or CLT scores from Classic Learning Initiatives LLC.","source_url":"https://www.flbog.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Regulation-6.002.pdf","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Georgetown University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"required","quote":"All first-year applicants are required to submit at least one full SAT or ACT test as part of their application.","source_url":"https://uadmissions.georgetown.edu/faq/faq-high-school-credits-and-tests/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Georgia Institute of Technology","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"required","quote":"All first-year applicants must submit results from at least one SAT and/or ACT in order to be considered for admission.","source_url":"https://visits.gatech.edu/first-year/standardized-tests","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Northwestern University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional","quote":"Northwestern is test-optional and does not require ACT or SAT scores from first-year or transfer candidates applying for full-time undergraduate study.","source_url":"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Purdue University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"required","quote":"Purdue University is test expected, meaning we expect applicants to submit SAT, ACT or CLT scores.","source_url":"https://admissions.purdue.edu/support-your-student/counselors/need-to-know/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Rice University","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional (recommended but not required)","quote":"Rice recommends that degree-seeking first-year and transfer applicants submit SAT or ACT test scores if available.","source_url":"https://admission.rice.edu/apply/first-year-domestic-applicants","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of Chicago","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional (\"No Harm\" policy)","quote":"Submitting an SAT or ACT is optional and not required for admission. In addition to being test-optional, UChicago practices a 'No Harm' policy for application review when considering SAT or ACT scores.","source_url":"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of Florida (and Florida's State University System generally)","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"required","quote":"FTIC students applying for admission must submit SAT scores from the College Board, ACT scores from ACT, Inc, or CLT scores from Classic Learning Initiatives LLC.","source_url":"https://www.flbog.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Regulation-6.002.pdf","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional (also mandated by Illinois state law -- the Higher Education Fair Admissions Act -- for all Illinois public universities, not purely an institutional choice)","quote":"Illinois is test-optional. You can choose whether to include ACT or SAT scores.","source_url":"https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/freshman/process","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of Michigan","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional (no reinstatement announced)","quote":"For the 2027 application cycle, U-M will be test optional. Prospective students will have the choice to submit standardized test scores (ACT/SAT), if they desire, as part of their application, but will not be penalized for not doing so.","source_url":"https://teamdynamix.umich.edu/TDClient/154/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=7490","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional, GPA-conditional (weighted GPA 2.8+ exempt; below 2.8 must submit ACT 17+ or SAT 930+) -- not a clean optional/required binary","quote":"For students applying for the 2026-2027 academic year and beyond, students with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above (on a 4.0 scale) are not required to submit a test score.","source_url":"https://admissions.unc.edu/faqs/how-does-unc-look-at-act-or-sat-test-scores/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"University of Wisconsin-Madison","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional (UW System Board of Regents authorization extends the waiver through the spring 2028 term)","quote":"Including scores from either the ACT or the SAT with your application is optional for students applying for admission through the spring 2028 term, with an application deadline of October 1, 2027.","source_url":"https://admissions.wisc.edu/apply-as-a-freshman/","unitid":null},{"announced":null,"college":"Washington University in St. Louis","first_class_required":null,"policy_2026":"optional (no reinstatement announced)","quote":"WashU is test optional. If you choose to submit scores, we accept self-reported scores on the Common App and Coalition App.","source_url":"https://admissions.washu.edu/how-to-apply/first-year-us-applicants/","unitid":null}]}],"title":"Which colleges brought back the SAT requirement, and the first class it hit","updated":null,"url":"https://highschoolreach.com/research/colleges-that-brought-back-the-sat"}