Test policy · 50 states · Missouri
Do Missouri's public universities require the SAT or ACT in 2026?
As of October 2026: No. All 4 Missouri public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of Missouri (Mizzou), Missouri State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) and University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)).
The University of Missouri (UM) System has not changed its testing policy for fall 2026: all three UM System campuses checked (Columbia/Mizzou, Kansas City, and Missouri S&T) remain test-optional, continuing into the fall 2027 application cycle. The separate Missouri State University in Springfield is also test-optional, with a GPA-based threshold.
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. each public university in Missouri sets its own policy.
No statewide testing mandate covering all Missouri public universities was found. However, the University of Missouri (UM) System's four campuses appear to share one common test-optional policy structure (same wording and 3.2-core-GPA threshold for extra documentation across Mizzou, UMKC, and Missouri S&T), suggesting a system-level policy even though no single system-wide policy page was located.
University of Missouri (UM) System: Optional, freshman applicants for the fall 2027 term (unchanged from fall 2026). Identical test-optional structure found independently on Mizzou, UMKC, and Missouri S&T sites: applicants choose whether to submit a score; those who decline are reviewed holistically by committee; those with a below-3.2 (S&T)/no-stated-threshold (Mizzou, UMKC) profile may be asked for more documentation; homeschooled and non-accredited-school applicants must submit a score everywhere in the system. 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. 0 required · 4 test-optional · 0 test-blind.
| University | SAT / ACT | Applies to | CLT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of Missouri (Mizzou)
Flagship
Columbia
Test-optional applicants submit a resume/activities list and a short essay instead. Homeschooled students and students from non-accredited schools must submit an ACT or SAT score. Submitting a score is still described as helpful for scholarships, Honors College, and faster review -- no indication the policy changed for fall 2026 versus fall 2027; both cycles described identically on the current site.
|
Test-optional | fall 2027 freshman applicants (policy unchanged from the fall 2026 cycle -- no reinstatement of a testing requirement was found) | — | “Freshman applicants for the Fall 2027 semester have the option of being reviewed with or without test scores.” |
|
Missouri State University
Springfield
Not part of the UM System (governed by its own Board of Governors). Applicants are not required to actively 'opt in' to test-optional; admissions staff simply check whether the GPA alone qualifies (below 3.0 GPA, a test score is required for admission consideration). Confirms the ACT optional science section is not required 'for students applying to Missouri State for the Fall 2026 semester and beyond,' indicating no new testing requirement was added for fall 2026.
|
Test-optional | freshman applicants, Fall 2026 and beyond (page explicitly references the Fall 2026 ACT science-section policy) | — | “If your cumulative GPA (weighted or unweighted) is 3.0 or higher, then you aren't required to submit a test score for automatic admission.” |
|
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T)
Rolla
Applicants with a core GPA below 3.2 may be asked for additional documentation (letters of recommendation or test scores) if they go test-optional; scholarships/opportunities 'may be more limited' without test scores. Homeschooled, GED/HiSET, and non-accredited-school applicants must submit a score.
|
Test-optional | freshman applicants for the fall 2027 term | — | “Applications Are Test Optional. Freshman applicants have the option of being reviewed with or without test scores, such as the ACT or SAT.” |
|
University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)
Kansas City
Exceptions requiring a score regardless of GPA: the six-year B.A./M.D. program, the School of Nursing direct-admit program, homeschooled applicants, and some scholarships. The originally cited index.html page returned a 404 on re-check; this admission-requirements.html page on the same site carries the live, more specific GPA-threshold policy.
|
Test-optional | first-time freshman applicants; no specific entering term named on the page | — | “Applicants with a 2.75 Core GPA may be admitted to UMKC without submitting an ACT or SAT score” |
Other public colleges in Missouri 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Louis Community College | 11,788 | — | — | — · — |
| Ozarks Technical Community College | 8,165 | — | — | — · — |
| Southeast Missouri State University | 6,373 | 78% | Test-optional | 1% · 6% |
| University of Central Missouri | 5,648 | 69% | Test-optional | — · 75% |
| University of Missouri-St Louis | 5,024 | 57% | Test-optional | 8% · 36% |
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 4 Missouri public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of Missouri (Mizzou), Missouri State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) and University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)).
There is no statewide rule in Missouri; each public university sets its own policy.
University of Missouri (Mizzou), the flagship, is test-optional for fall 2027 freshman applicants (policy unchanged from the fall 2026 cycle -- no reinstatement of a testing requirement was found).
Checked against each university's own admissions page, October 2026. Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Questions families ask
Is Missouri test-optional for its public universities in 2026? No. All 4 Missouri public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (University of Missouri (Mizzou), Missouri State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) and University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)).
Does University of Missouri (Mizzou) require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-optional for fall 2027 freshman applicants (policy unchanged from the fall 2026 cycle -- no reinstatement of a testing requirement was found). Test-optional applicants submit a resume/activities list and a short essay instead. Homeschooled students and students from non-accredited schools must submit an ACT or SAT score. Submitting a score is still described as helpful for scholarships, Honors College, and faster review -- no indication the policy changed for fall 2026 versus fall 2027; both cycles described identically on the current site. Source: admissions.missouri.edu.
Should my child take the SAT or ACT if Missouri'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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