Test policy · 50 states · Virginia

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

As of October 2026: It depends on the campus. Of the 6 Virginia public universities we checked, 5 are test-optional (University of Virginia, George Mason University, James Madison University and 2 more); 1 does not consider scores (Old Dominion University).

Virginia has no statewide SAT/ACT mandate — each public university's own board sets its own policy. For fall 2026 and fall 2027 applicants, every major Virginia public university is test-optional except Old Dominion, which is fully test-blind.

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 — the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) coordinates and oversees Virginia public higher education but does not mandate an admissions testing policy; each university's board of visitors sets its own does not set a testing requirement; each public university in Virginia sets its own policy.

SCHEV's own site (homepage navigation: Academic Affairs Policies and Guidelines, Governing Public Institutions, Restructuring Act, Institutional Performance Standards) has no admissions-testing policy section, consistent with there being no statewide SAT/ACT mandate. Virginia's public universities operate under the Restructuring Act with independent boards of visitors, each setting its own testing policy — confirmed by the fact that the six universities checked here split between test-optional and test-blind.

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 Virginia Flagship Charlottesville Live site blocks automated fetches (403); content confirmed via the Wayback Machine's November 2025 snapshot of UVA's own admissions FAQ page. Page also states: "If you're applying for admission for Fall 2026, you'll have the choice of sharing or not sharing results from the SAT and ACT." Fall 2027 not explicitly named on this page — see gaps.	Test-optional	Fall 2026 cycle (page does not explicitly extend the statement to fall 2027)	—	“We are test optional for the Fall 2026 cycle and have no preference between the SAT and ACT.” admission.virginia.edu
Old Dominion University Norfolk Scores may still be submitted voluntarily for class-placement purposes or for certain endowed scholarships, but are not used in the admission decision. A narrow exception elsewhere on the site lists SAT/ACT as required for some non-standard-pathway applicant categories (e.g. certain homeschool/GED-within-3-years cases); the general freshman policy is test-blind.	Test-blind	current freshman application cycle (page not tied to a named term)	—	“Old Dominion University does not consider SAT or ACT test scores for undergraduate admission or standard scholarship consideration.” odu.edu
George Mason University Fairfax test-optional ("Score Optional") since 2007 — not a COVID-era policy NCAA Division I athletic recruits are also covered by the score-optional policy and are not required to present an ACT/SAT score.	Test-optional	ongoing policy since 2007 (page describes a standing institutional policy, not a specific term)	—	“George Mason was the first public university in the Commonwealth of Virginia to consider students without standardized test scores.” gmu.edu
James Madison University Harrisonburg Student-athletes who do not want test scores considered may omit them; official scores must arrive electronically by the application deadline if submitted.	Test-optional	current freshman application cycle (page copyright 2026, not tied to a named term)	—	“JMU no longer requires applicants to submit SAT/ACT scores.” jmu.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Honors College guaranteed-admission track requires a 3.5 GPA plus SAT 1330+ (CR+M) or ACT 29+.	Test-optional	current freshman application cycle (page not dated to a specific term)	—	“Applicants (including those seeking scholarships) do not need to submit test scores unless applying to the Honors College guaranteed admissions programs.” admissions.vcu.edu
Virginia Tech Blacksburg test-optional since fall 2021 (COVID-era policy made permanent through fall 2028) Explicitly covers both fall 2026 and fall 2027. Applies to all majors; transfer applicants also not evaluated on ACT/SAT.	Test-optional	fall 2021 through fall 2028 entering first-year classes	—	“Virginia Tech remains test-optional for first-year applicants entering through Fall 2028.” vt.edu

Other public colleges in Virginia 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
William & Mary	7,055	33%	Test-optional	45% · 17%
Radford University	6,038	91%	Test-optional	19% · 3%
Norfolk State University	5,392	88%	Test-optional	3% · 1%
Virginia State University	5,074	89%	Test-optional	14% · 2%

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 Virginia public universities we checked, 5 are test-optional (University of Virginia, George Mason University, James Madison University and 2 more); 1 does not consider scores (Old Dominion University).

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

University of Virginia, the flagship, is test-optional for Fall 2026 cycle (page does not explicitly extend the statement to fall 2027).

George Mason University: test-optional ("Score Optional") since 2007 — not a COVID-era policy.

Virginia Tech: test-optional since fall 2021 (COVID-era policy made permanent through fall 2028).

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

Questions families ask

Is Virginia test-optional for its public universities in 2026? It depends on the campus. Of the 6 Virginia public universities we checked, 5 are test-optional (University of Virginia, George Mason University, James Madison University and 2 more); 1 does not consider scores (Old Dominion University).

Does University of Virginia require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-optional for Fall 2026 cycle (page does not explicitly extend the statement to fall 2027). Live site blocks automated fetches (403); content confirmed via the Wayback Machine's November 2025 snapshot of UVA's own admissions FAQ page. Page also states: "If you're applying for admission for Fall 2026, you'll have the choice of sharing or not sharing results from the SAT and ACT." Fall 2027 not explicitly named on this page — see gaps. Source: admission.virginia.edu.

Should my child take the SAT or ACT if Virginia'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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