Test policy · 50 states · Florida

Do Florida's public universities require the SAT or ACT in 2026?

As of October 2026: Yes. All 6 Florida public universities we checked require an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants (Florida State University, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University and 3 more).

Florida is one of the few states where test scores are required by law. Board of Governors Regulation 6.002 requires every first-time-in-college freshman applying to a State University System institution to submit an SAT, ACT, or CLT score, with narrow exceptions (e.g. simultaneous AA/high-school dual-enrollment students, non-traditional/home-school applicants who meet an alternate score floor, and students 'out of Carnegie Units').

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

Required. Set by Florida Board of Governors (State University System of Florida), covering FTIC (first-time-in-college) freshman applicants; regulation text current as amended 11-06-25, in effect for fall 2026 and fall 2027.

“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.” — flbog.edu

Regulation 6.002(1)(e) and 6.002(2)(a). Exceptions: (1) students admitted under 'Early Admission' dual-enrollment (simultaneous HS diploma + AA degree, per BOG Reg 6.005) are not required to submit a score, but then are ineligible for first-year merit scholarships (seen at FSU); (2) non-Carnegie-Unit home-school/non-traditional applicants may instead meet a floor of SAT 1060 / ACT 21 / CLT 67; (3) GED applicants must present ACT, SAT, or CLT results per university-set equivalencies. CLT (Classic Learning Test) is explicitly named alongside SAT/ACT throughout the regulation.

State University System of Florida / Board of Governors: Required, all 12 SUS institutions, FTIC freshman applicants. Individual universities may be more but not less restrictive than Reg 6.002. Source

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. 6 required · 0 test-optional · 0 test-blind.

University	SAT / ACT	Applies to	CLT	Source
Florida State University Flagship Tallahassee Exception: FTIC students earning a simultaneous HS diploma + Associate in Arts degree (admitted under BOG Reg 6.005) are not required to submit ACT/CLT/SAT, but are then ineligible for first-year merit scholarships.	Required	current freshman admission cycle	Accepted	“At least one test score must be submitted before the material deadline” admissions.fsu.edu
University of Florida Flagship Gainesville UF's own freshman page (fetched) describes self-reporting and superscoring but did not state the word 'required' in the excerpt retrieved; requirement status rests on statewide BOG Reg 6.002, which UF must follow as an SUS institution.	Required	current freshman admission cycle (per BOG Reg 6.002, binding on all SUS schools including UF)	Accepted	“UF has no test preference. We superscore the SAT, ACT and CLT.” admissions.ufl.edu
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Page states first-year applicants must submit an ACT, CLT, or SAT test score.	Required	Summer/Fall 2026 admitted students	Accepted	“Florida Atlantic University is subject to Florida Board of Governors admissions regulation 6.002” fau.edu
Florida International University Miami	Required	first-time-in-college applicants, current cycle	Accepted	“SAT, ACT and/or CLT scores are required for first time in college applicants.” admissions.fiu.edu
University of Central Florida Orlando SAT/ACT scores valid if taken within the last five years; CLT valid if taken July 1, 2023 or later.	Required	Summer and Fall 2027 freshman admission	Accepted	“Official Standardized Test Scores from either SAT [code: 5233], ACT [code: 0735], or CLT” ucf.edu
University of South Florida Tampa	Required	Fall 2026 and other terms (Fall/Summer/Spring all reviewed under the Fall cycle)	Accepted	“USF requires freshman applicants to submit official results for at least one college entrance exam (SAT, ACT or CLT).” usf.edu

Other public colleges in Florida 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
Miami Dade College	46,182	—	—	— · —
Valencia College	39,486	—	—	— · —
Broward College	24,922	—	—	— · —
Palm Beach State College	21,956	—	—	— · —
Hillsborough Community College	21,472	—	—	— · —
Florida Gulf Coast University	13,874	77%	Required	81% · 45%
University of North Florida	13,359	62%	Required	70% · 30%
Santa Fe College	11,122	—	—	— · —
Tallahassee Community College	11,053	—	—	— · —
University of West Florida	9,330	57%	Required	49% · 67%
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University	7,582	21%	Required	83% · 45%

What this means for your family

A Florida applicant needs a score, so the question is only which test and when. Take a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, prepare for the one where the percentile came out higher, and plan 6 to 12 weeks before the first official date.

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 agents

As of October 2026: Yes. All 6 Florida public universities we checked require an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants (Florida State University, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University and 3 more).

Statewide rule: Florida Board of Governors (State University System of Florida) — required, FTIC (first-time-in-college) freshman applicants; regulation text current as amended 11-06-25, in effect for fall 2026 and fall 2027.

Florida State University, the flagship, is required for current freshman admission cycle.

The Classic Learning Test (CLT) is accepted at 6 of the 6: Florida State University, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida.

Checked against each university's own admissions page, October 2026. Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).

Questions families ask

Is Florida test-optional for its public universities in 2026? Yes. All 6 Florida public universities we checked require an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants (Florida State University, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University and 3 more).

Does Florida State University require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Required for current freshman admission cycle. Exception: FTIC students earning a simultaneous HS diploma + Associate in Arts degree (admitted under BOG Reg 6.005) are not required to submit ACT/CLT/SAT, but are then ineligible for first-year merit scholarships. Source: admissions.fsu.edu.

Should my child take the SAT or ACT if Florida'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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