Test policy · 50 states · West Virginia

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

As of October 2026: No. All 2 West Virginia public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (West Virginia University and Marshall University).

West Virginia's Higher Education Policy Commission sets a statewide baseline: students may be admitted to any public university without an ACT or SAT score if they have a high school diploma and at least a 2.5 GPA. Both of the state's major public universities, WVU and Marshall, offer a path to admission without test scores.

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 West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), covering ongoing regular admission standards at WV's public baccalaureate institutions (Title 133, Series 23; effective August 31, 2024, amending a 2015 version).

“If the student does not have an ACT or SAT score, have a high school diploma and a minimum high school GPA of 2.5.” — wvhepc.edu

This is one of three alternative regular-admission pathways in HEPC's statewide rule (133 CSR 23, Section 4.1): (a) diploma + 2.0 GPA + ACT 18/SAT 960; (b) high school equivalency + same test scores; or (c) diploma + 2.5 GPA with no test score at all. Universities may also waive the ACT/SAT requirement for applicants who graduated high school more than five years earlier. This sets a statewide floor; individual universities (like WVU) may set a higher GPA bar for their own no-test pathway.

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 · 2 test-optional · 0 test-blind.

University	SAT / ACT	Applies to	CLT	Source
West Virginia University Flagship Morgantown WVU's 2026-27 catalog lists three admission pathways for residents and nonresidents: (a) diploma + 2.5 GPA + SAT 990/ACT 19 (residents; higher scores for nonresidents); (b) equivalency exam + same test scores; or (c) diploma + 2.5 GPA with no test score, via 'additional criteria.' Home-schooled applicants may apply test-optional; the state PROMISE Scholarship is NOT test-optional and still requires ACT/SAT. Some national news coverage suggested WVU 'reinstated' a hard test-score requirement for 2026 admissions, but this could not be confirmed on WVU's own live admissions pages (blocked, HTTP 403) or in its official current catalog, which instead shows the no-test pathway above — see gaps.	Test-optional	2026-27 academic year (fall 2026 entering first-year class), per the current undergraduate catalog	—	“an approved high school diploma, a minimum 2.5 high school GPA, and additional criteria that support academic success in the absence of Standardized Test scores” catalog.wvu.edu
Marshall University Huntington Marshall admits applicants either via GPA 2.00+ with ACT 19/SAT 990, OR via GPA 3.00+ alone with no test score required. Applicants who graduated high school 5+ years ago are not required to submit ACT/SAT except for the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences.	Test-optional	2026-2027 undergraduate catalog (fall 2026/fall 2027 entering first-year classes)	—	“an ACT composite score of 19 (or SAT total score of 990) OR an overall grade point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00” catalog.marshall.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: No. All 2 West Virginia public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (West Virginia University and Marshall University).

Statewide rule: West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) — test-optional, ongoing regular admission standards at WV's public baccalaureate institutions (Title 133, Series 23; effective August 31, 2024, amending a 2015 version).

West Virginia University, the flagship, is test-optional for 2026-27 academic year (fall 2026 entering first-year class), per the current undergraduate catalog.

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

Questions families ask

Is West Virginia test-optional for its public universities in 2026? No. All 2 West Virginia public universities we checked are test-optional: a score is considered if sent, but not required (West Virginia University and Marshall University).

Does West Virginia University require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-optional for 2026-27 academic year (fall 2026 entering first-year class), per the current undergraduate catalog. WVU's 2026-27 catalog lists three admission pathways for residents and nonresidents: (a) diploma + 2.5 GPA + SAT 990/ACT 19 (residents; higher scores for nonresidents); (b) equivalency exam + same test scores; or (c) diploma + 2.5 GPA with no test score, via 'additional criteria.' Home-schooled applicants may apply test-optional; the state PROMISE Scholarship is NOT test-optional and still requires ACT/SAT. Some national news coverage suggested WVU 'reinstated' a hard test-score requirement for 2026 admissions, but this could not be confirmed on WVU's own live admissions pages (blocked, HTTP 403) or in its official current catalog, which instead shows the no-test pathway above — see gaps. Source: catalog.wvu.edu.

Should my child take the SAT or ACT if West 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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