Test policy · 50 states · New York

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

As of October 2026: No. All 6 New York public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (Stony Brook University, University at Buffalo, Binghamton University and 3 more).

New York has no single public-university system; SUNY and CUNY are separate systems that both let first-year applicants for fall 2026 choose whether to submit SAT/ACT scores. CUNY's test-optional policy is formally dated through spring 2027; SUNY leaves the choice to each of its 64 campuses, and every major campus checked is test optional.

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 New York sets its own policy.

New York has no single statewide board governing all public universities. SUNY and CUNY are two separate, independently governed systems with their own Boards of Trustees; see the systems array for each.

State University of New York (SUNY): Varies by campus, unknown - no official SUNY system page was fetchable to confirm an end date. SUNY's Board of Trustees reportedly voted in April 2023 to make test-optional admissions permanent system-wide, leaving each of SUNY's 64 campuses free to keep test scores optional if they choose, per the trade publication Higher Ed Dive (https://www.highereddive.com/news/suny-vassar-permanently-shift-to-test-optional-admissions/647724/: "SUNY, which has waived standardized testing requirements since June 2020, will allow the leadership at each of its 64 campuses to keep test scores optional if they so choose."). This is a NEWS SOURCE, not an official SUNY page, so per sourcing rules it cannot stand as the policy's own citation -- source_url/quote are left null rather than mis-citing suny.edu. Both suny.edu/attend/apply-to-suny/ and the April 2023 Board of Trustees resolution PDF returned HTTP 403 Forbidden on repeated attempts (WebFetch and curl), so no official SUNY system-level page could be verified. The 'varies_by_campus' label itself remains well-supported: all four SUNY campuses checked directly (Buffalo, Stony Brook, Albany, Binghamton) are independently confirmed test-optional from their own official admissions pages (see universities array).

City University of New York (CUNY): Optional, Fall 2023 through Spring 2027 entering terms. Confirmed identically worded on two official CUNY senior-college pages (Brooklyn College and John Jay College), both citing a CUNY Board of Trustees resolution. The resolution explicitly covers Fall 2023 through Spring 2027 -- it covers fall 2026 applicants but its wording implies a renewal decision is needed for fall 2027 and beyond; could not fetch the resolution PDF itself (text did not render) or a direct cuny.edu system page (404) to confirm whether it has since been extended further. 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 · 6 test-optional · 0 test-blind.

University	SAT / ACT	Applies to	CLT	Source
Stony Brook University Flagship Stony Brook Part of SUNY; one of SUNY's four 'university center' campuses. Exception: SAT or ACT scores are required for its Scholars for Medicine and Scholars for Dental Medicine programs.	Test-optional	Fall 2027 and Spring 2027 entry terms, as stated on the source page	—	“Stony Brook is test optional for applicants.” stonybrook.edu
University at Buffalo Flagship Buffalo Part of SUNY. Often described as SUNY's flagship campus.	Test-optional	current policy as published, for fall and spring admission terms; no end date stated	—	“UB does not require SAT and ACT test scores for admissions and scholarship consideration.” buffalo.edu
Binghamton University Binghamton Part of SUNY; one of SUNY's four 'university center' campuses.	Test-optional	current policy as published; no end date stated	—	“Binghamton University is test optional which means standardized test scores are not required.” binghamton.edu
Brooklyn College Brooklyn test optional effective fall 2023 (per CUNY Board of Trustees resolution) Part of CUNY; follows the CUNY system-wide test-optional policy.	Test-optional	Fall 2023 through Spring 2027 entering terms	—	“The absence of SAT or ACT exam scores cannot be used to deny a student admission.” brooklyn.edu
John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York test optional effective fall 2023 (per CUNY Board of Trustees resolution) Part of CUNY; follows the CUNY system-wide test-optional policy.	Test-optional	Fall 2023 through Spring 2027 entering terms	—	“Students who choose not to submit test scores will not be disadvantaged in the admissions process.” jjay.cuny.edu
University at Albany Albany Part of SUNY; one of SUNY's four 'university center' campuses. Exception: homeschooled applicants must submit ACT or SAT scores for admission and scholarship consideration.	Test-optional	current policy as published; Fall 2025 entering class cited in the admitted-student profile section	—	“Standardized test scores, while helpful, are optional.” albany.edu

Other public colleges in New York 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
CUNY Hunter College	16,289	54%	Test-optional	9% · —
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College	16,154	50%	Test-optional	9% · —
CUNY New York City College of Technology	13,580	81%	Test-optional	2% · —
CUNY Queens College	12,550	68%	Test-optional	5% · —
CUNY City College	12,505	58%	Test-optional	8% · —
CUNY Lehman College	10,696	55%	Test-optional	2% · —
College of Staten Island CUNY	9,657	—	—	— · —
Farmingdale State College	9,552	69%	Test-optional	27% · 3%
Fashion Institute of Technology	7,637	58%	Test-optional	— · —
Empire State University	7,585	—	—	— · —
State University of New York at New Paltz	6,086	59%	Test-optional	15% · 5%
State University of New York at Cortland	5,901	51%	Test-optional	— · —
SUNY Brockport	5,784	71%	Test-optional	21% · 2%
State University of New York at Oswego	5,473	80%	Test-optional	27% · 3%
SUNY Buffalo State University	5,097	76%	Test-optional	13% · —

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: No. All 6 New York public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (Stony Brook University, University at Buffalo, Binghamton University and 3 more).

There is no statewide rule in New York; each public university sets its own policy.

Stony Brook University, the flagship, is test-optional for Fall 2027 and Spring 2027 entry terms, as stated on the source page.

Brooklyn College: test optional effective fall 2023 (per CUNY Board of Trustees resolution).

John Jay College of Criminal Justice: test optional effective fall 2023 (per CUNY Board of Trustees resolution).

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

Questions families ask

Is New York test-optional for its public universities in 2026? No. All 6 New York public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (Stony Brook University, University at Buffalo, Binghamton University and 3 more).

Does Stony Brook University require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-optional for Fall 2027 and Spring 2027 entry terms, as stated on the source page. Part of SUNY; one of SUNY's four 'university center' campuses. Exception: SAT or ACT scores are required for its Scholars for Medicine and Scholars for Dental Medicine programs. Source: stonybrook.edu.

Should my child take the SAT or ACT if New York'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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