Test policy · 50 states · Delaware
Do Delaware's public universities require the SAT or ACT in 2026?
As of October 2026: No. All 2 Delaware public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of Delaware and Delaware State University).
Delaware has no statewide law on SAT/ACT; each of its two public universities sets its own policy. Both the University of Delaware and Delaware State University are currently test-optional for first-year applicants.
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 statewide rule
No statewide rule. none found; Delaware has no system-wide governing board over its two public universities comparable to other states' boards of regents does not set a testing requirement; each public university in Delaware sets its own policy.
No Delaware statute or board regulation mandating or prohibiting SAT/ACT requirements was found; each university decides independently.
University by university
The flagship and the state's largest public universities. Each label comes from the university's own admissions page, quoted; "applies to" is the entering term the page names. 0 required · 2 test-optional · 0 test-blind.
| University | SAT / ACT | Applies to | CLT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of Delaware
Flagship
Newark
LOW CONFIDENCE: udel.edu and admissions.udel.edu could not be reached directly in this research session (repeated TLS certificate errors and connection refusals), so this is sourced from a College Board BigFuture profile (which draws on UD's own Common Data Set reporting) rather than UD's own page. Should be re-verified against admissions.udel.edu/apply/first-year/ when that site is reachable. Re-checked 2026-10-08: admissions.udel.edu and udel.edu/apply/... remain unreachable (TLS/connection errors) and catalog.udel.edu returned no readable content; BigFuture quote re-confirmed verbatim, still the best available source.
|
Test-optional | current first-year admissions | — | “SAT/ACT Scores Considered if submitted” |
|
Delaware State University
Dover
Page also lists a standard-path score benchmark of SAT 800 (math+reading) or ACT composite 17+ for applicants who choose to submit scores.
|
Test-optional | current admissions cycle, 'until further notice' | — | “Delaware State University's Test-Optional Policy will provide potential students the ability to apply and receive an admissions decision based on a holistic review” |
Other public colleges in Delaware with 5,000 or more students
Not individually checked for this report. The policy flag and the share of enrolled first-years who submitted a score are what each college reported to the federal government for the 2023 admissions cycle (IPEDS); check the college's own page before relying on it.
| College | Students | Admit rate | Reported to IPEDS, 2023 | Submitted SAT · ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Technical Community College-Terry | 10,867 | — | — | — · — |
What this means for your family
Optional describes the checkbox, not the outcome. At test-optional colleges that publish both numbers, students who sent a score were admitted at a higher rate than students who did not, and 115 colleges nationally still require one. Take a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, prepare for the whole test over 6 to 12 weeks, and decide college by college whether to send the score.
How much a score moves with preparation, by starting score: Test Prep Gurus results. The submit-or-withhold arithmetic: Do test scores still matter?
At a glance
JSON (all states) · For AI agentsAs of October 2026: No. All 2 Delaware public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of Delaware and Delaware State University).
There is no statewide rule in Delaware; each public university sets its own policy.
University of Delaware, the flagship, is test-optional for current first-year admissions.
Checked against each university's own admissions page, October 2026. Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Questions families ask
Is Delaware test-optional for its public universities in 2026? No. All 2 Delaware public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of Delaware and Delaware State University).
Does University of Delaware require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-optional for current first-year admissions. LOW CONFIDENCE: udel.edu and admissions.udel.edu could not be reached directly in this research session (repeated TLS certificate errors and connection refusals), so this is sourced from a College Board BigFuture profile (which draws on UD's own Common Data Set reporting) rather than UD's own page. Should be re-verified against admissions.udel.edu/apply/first-year/ when that site is reachable. Re-checked 2026-10-08: admissions.udel.edu and udel.edu/apply/... remain unreachable (TLS/connection errors) and catalog.udel.edu returned no readable content; BigFuture quote re-confirmed verbatim, still the best available source. Source: bigfuture.collegeboard.org.
Should my child take the SAT or ACT if Delaware's public universities do not require it? Yes. Most families apply to colleges in more than one state, 115 four-year colleges nationally require a score, and at test-optional colleges students who submit a score are admitted at higher rates than students who do not. A strong score also opens merit scholarships. Start with a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, prepare for the whole test over 6 to 12 weeks, and decide college by college whether to send it.
Method: for each state, the flagship and the public universities with roughly 8,000 or more undergraduates. Each policy label was read from the university's own first-year admissions page (or the state or system regulation), quoted verbatim, and re-checked by a second pass, October 2026. "Required" means a score is required of most first-year applicants (exemptions in the notes); "test-optional" means a score is considered if sent; "test-blind" means a score is not considered even if sent. Community colleges and private colleges are not covered. Policies change: the page carries the term each page named, and the report is refreshed each October.
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