Test policy · 50 states · Illinois

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

As of October 2026: It depends on the campus. Of the 6 Illinois public universities we checked, 5 are test-optional (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and 2 more); 1 does not consider scores (Northern Illinois University).

A 2021 state law, the Higher Education Fair Admissions Act, bars Illinois public universities from requiring Illinois-resident applicants to submit SAT/ACT scores; every major Illinois public university (U of I Urbana-Champaign, UIC, Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois Carbondale) is now test-optional or test-blind for first-year admission.

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

Test-optional. Set by Illinois General Assembly — Higher Education Fair Admissions Act (110 ILCS 29), effective January 1, 2022, covering Illinois-resident first-year applicants to Illinois public universities, ongoing from January 1, 2022.

“prohibit Illinois' public universities from relying solely on a student's ACT or SAT score to make an admissions decision.” — illinoissenatedemocrats.com

The law makes submission of standardized test scores optional at the applicant's choice for Illinois residents applying to Illinois public universities. Could not fetch the ilga.gov statute (110 ILCS 29) text directly (certificate errors on all attempts); this quote comes from an Illinois State Senate caucus news page describing the law, corroborated by every Illinois public university's own test-optional policy page cited below.

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 · 5 test-optional · 1 test-blind.

University	SAT / ACT	Applies to	CLT	Source
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Flagship Champaign/Urbana If no ACT/SAT is submitted, international/non-native-English applicants may still need TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo. Scores, if submitted, are not superscored.	Test-optional	fall 2027 first-year applicants	—	“Illinois is test-optional. You can choose whether to include ACT or SAT scores.” admissions.illinois.edu
Northern Illinois University DeKalb NIU markets itself as having 'test-free admission'; GPA is used instead as the predictor of success.	Test-blind	current first-year applicants	—	“We do not consider ACT or SAT scores for general admission or merit scholarships.” niu.edu
Illinois State University Normal Official university policy (2.1.31 Test Optional Admission Policy), adopted following the 2021 state law.	Test-optional	current first-year applicants	—	“At Illinois State University, no prospective student is required to submit any standardized test scores with their application.” policy.illinoisstate.edu
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale no longer required effective summer/fall 2021 Some selective-admission programs may still require test scores for direct entry. Students below a 2.75 GPA may still need to submit scores.	Test-optional	summer/fall 2021 and beyond, for prospective undergraduates with less than 26 US credit hours	—	“we no longer require submission of SAT or ACT scores for students with a high school GPA of 2.75 or above.” siu.edu
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville SIUE's own first-year admission page confirms (FAQ: 'Are SAT or ACT scores required? No.') that scores are not required. Students are admissible via a 2.6+ cumulative HS GPA alone, OR a 2.0-2.59 GPA combined with an ACT composite of 19+ or SAT of 990+, OR ranking in the top 10% of their graduating class; students meeting none of these receive additional holistic review. Scores, if submitted, may still be used for course placement. SIUE is part of the SIU System and subject to the same 2021 Illinois Higher Education Fair Admissions Act already documented in this file's state_rule.	Test-optional	Spring 2027, Summer 2027, and Fall 2027 first-time freshman applicants	—	“SAT and ACT scores are not required for admission consideration.” siue.edu
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago policy amended effective the 2027 admission cycle Scores are reviewed only when they positively contribute to an application; UIC states there is no admission advantage to submitting scores. Self-reported scores and SuperScore reports are not used.	Test-optional	2027 undergraduate admission cycle	—	“Effective with the 2027 undergraduate admission cycle, UIC has amended its Test-Optional policy.” admissions.uic.edu

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 agents

As of October 2026: It depends on the campus. Of the 6 Illinois public universities we checked, 5 are test-optional (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and 2 more); 1 does not consider scores (Northern Illinois University).

Statewide rule: Illinois General Assembly — Higher Education Fair Admissions Act (110 ILCS 29), effective January 1, 2022 — test-optional, Illinois-resident first-year applicants to Illinois public universities, ongoing from January 1, 2022.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the flagship, is test-optional for fall 2027 first-year applicants.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale: no longer required effective summer/fall 2021.

University of Illinois Chicago: policy amended effective the 2027 admission cycle.

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

Questions families ask

Is Illinois test-optional for its public universities in 2026? It depends on the campus. Of the 6 Illinois public universities we checked, 5 are test-optional (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and 2 more); 1 does not consider scores (Northern Illinois University).

Does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-optional for fall 2027 first-year applicants. If no ACT/SAT is submitted, international/non-native-English applicants may still need TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo. Scores, if submitted, are not superscored. Source: admissions.illinois.edu.

Should my child take the SAT or ACT if Illinois'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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