Research · Test policy · October 2026

The Public Universities That Accept the Classic Learning Test in 2026

As of October 2026: 23 public universities take the Classic Learning Test, or CLT. They sit in seven states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico and Oklahoma. At 13 of them a test score is required, so the CLT is one way to meet that rule.

The table gives each school, its test rule for 2026, and the page that names the CLT. It covers public schools only, and a school is here only if its own page names the test.

Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

The findings, in plain English

Florida's public universities require a score, and the CLT counts. All 6 Florida schools in the table require a test score. Each one names the CLT. The University of Florida says it plainly: "UF has no test preference. We superscore the SAT, ACT and CLT." The other Florida campuses in the table say the same.

Georgia starts taking the CLT with fall 2027. The 7 Georgia schools in the table take the CLT beginning fall 2027. That is the state system's own rule. 5 of them require a test score now. A student applying for fall 2026 cannot use the CLT at these campuses yet.

Where a score is optional, the CLT is one more way to send one. 10 of these schools are test-optional. They include the University of Arkansas, the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Oklahoma. Read the words closely. Arkansas Tech names the CLT for course placement, not for getting in: students admitted without scores "must submit either ACT, SAT, CLT, or ACCUPLACER scores for placement purposes."

Every public university whose page names the Classic Learning Test

Grouped by state, with the universities that require a test score first.

StateUniversityTest rule for 2026Accepts the CLTThe university's page
Arkansas University of Arkansas at Little Rock required yes Source
Arkansas Arkansas Tech University optional yes Source
Arkansas University of Arkansas optional yes Source
Arkansas University of Central Arkansas optional yes Source
Florida Florida Atlantic University required yes Source
Florida Florida International University required yes Source
Florida Florida State University required yes Source
Florida University of Central Florida required yes Source
Florida University of Florida required yes Source
Florida University of South Florida required yes Source
Georgia Augusta University required yes (beginning fall 2027) Source
Georgia Georgia College & State University required yes (beginning fall 2027) Source
Georgia Georgia Southern University required yes (beginning fall 2027) Source
Georgia Georgia State University required yes (beginning fall 2027, per usg's clt-substitution policy) Source
Georgia Kennesaw State University required yes (beginning fall 2027) Source
Georgia University of West Georgia optional yes (beginning fall 2027) Source
Georgia Valdosta State University optional yes (beginning fall 2027) Source
Indiana Purdue University (West Lafayette) required yes Source
Indiana Ball State University optional yes Source
Iowa Iowa State University optional yes Source
Iowa University of Iowa optional yes Source
New Mexico University of New Mexico optional yes Source
Oklahoma University of Oklahoma optional yes Source

These are the public universities in Reach's 2026 Public University Test Policy Report whose own admissions page names the Classic Learning Test, out of 226 universities in the report. The rule is the one for first-year applicants in 2026. Georgia's rows take effect for fall 2027, not for the fall 2026 class. A university that is not in the table did not name the test on its page, which is not the same as refusing it.

Where the CLT is accepted

The CLT turns up at public schools in seven states. In Arkansas, Iowa, New Mexico and Oklahoma it sits beside the SAT and the ACT, on pages that make testing optional. In Florida, and at Purdue in Indiana, a score is required and the CLT counts as one.

The report covers 226 public universities. The 23 here are the ones whose own page names the CLT. This is a small, regional option, not a national one.

What taking the CLT does and does not mean

Taking a test is not the same as requiring one. At 13 of these schools a score is required, so the CLT is one way to meet the rule. At the other 10 a score is optional. There the CLT is just one more test the school will read.

Two limits sit inside the table. Georgia's schools start with fall 2027, which is after the fall 2026 class applies. And a page can name a test for course placement, not for getting in, the way Arkansas Tech's does.

What a family should do with this

If your student has taken the CLT, find the school in the table. Open its page and read the rule for the year on the application. A rule that starts in fall 2027 does nothing for a fall 2026 form.

If the school requires a score, the CLT is one option beside the SAT and the ACT, not a swap for them. And if your student is not applying in these seven states, the CLT has no part in the plan. The SAT or the ACT is the test to prepare for.

Questions parents ask

Which public universities take the Classic Learning Test?

23 public universities take the Classic Learning Test, or CLT. They sit in seven states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Does taking the CLT mean the school requires a test?

Taking a test is not the same as requiring one.

Can my student use the CLT at a Georgia public university for fall 2026?

A student applying for fall 2026 cannot use the CLT at these campuses yet.

Method & sources: The rows come from Reach's 2026 Public University Test Policy Report. It holds each school's own admissions page, its rule for 2026, and a line quoted from that page. The report covers 226 public universities, and these 23 are the ones whose page names the CLT. Rows are grouped by state, with the schools that require a score first. A school whose page does not name the test is not in the table, and that is not proof it says no.

This brief as data: /research/public-universities-that-accept-the-clt.json. Free for editorial use with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).

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