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Fall 2027 admissions planning

College testing requirements: know the policy before you choose the score

Testing policies are moving in different directions. Start with the school's actual rule, then decide what score, section mix and test date your application requires.

For fall 2027 planning, do not rely on a generic “test optional” label. Harvard, MIT, Yale and Stanford currently require an SAT or ACT, with school-specific rules for self-reporting, superscoring, optional ACT Science and the latest usable sitting. A score range is context, not an admission cutoff.

Compare SAT and ACTSee policy examples
An American college counselor meeting with a high school student and parent over four clearly different admissions folders, a testing policy matrix, a calendar, and a campus choice map
RequiredHarvard, MIT, Yale and Stanford currently require SAT or ACT.
Self-report acceptedAll four allow application review with self-reported scores.
No guaranteed scorePublished ranges do not create an admissions cutoff.
Policy firstTesting date, superscore and section rules vary by school.
Verified policy examples

Four required-testing policies, four different details.

This is a decision sample, not a claim that every U.S. college follows the same rule. Each row is based on the institution's current admissions guidance.

CollegeCurrent ruleSelf-reportSuperscore / section noteTiming signal
HarvardSAT or ACT required; alternative credentials only in exceptional access casesYesNo cutoff; ACT evaluated by highest composite and shared scoresEnd of October preferred for early; November may be used; later scores possible for regular
MITSAT or ACT requiredYesHighest section scores considered; ACT Writing and Science not requiredTests by Nov 30 for Early Action and Dec 31 for Regular Action
YaleSAT or ACT requiredYesSAT and ACT superscores accepted; ACT Science and Writing optionalOctober or November generally usable for early; January or February may be usable for regular
StanfordSAT or ACT required for first-year and transfer applicantsYesSAT superscored; ACT superscore accepted; Science and Writing optionalACT by end of Sep and SAT by end of Oct for early; both by end of Dec for regular
Decision sequence

Policy first, target second, calendar third.

  1. Classify the policy.Required, optional, flexible and blind are not interchangeable. Record the exact rule for your application cycle.
  2. Read the section rules.ACT Science, Writing, SAT superscoring and self-reporting can differ even when two colleges both say “required.”
  3. Use score ranges carefully.A middle 50% range describes a cohort. It is not a minimum and may come from a class admitted under a different testing policy.
  4. Match the last usable sitting.Build around the school's review timeline, not only the application submission date.
Score decision

What a requirement changes in your prep plan.

Required school

Secure a valid score early

Book a first sitting with enough time for a retake. A complete application cannot depend on finding a last-minute seat.

Optional school

Compare signal, not ego

Ask whether the score adds useful academic evidence in the context of the school, your transcript and the submitted-score cohort.

Mixed college list

Plan to satisfy the strictest rule

If one serious target requires testing, prepare as though the test is required; optional schools can still receive or omit the result later.

Policy vocabulary

Four labels that should never be collapsed into “optional.”

The same score can be required, useful, ignored or replaceable depending on the institution and application cycle.

Test required

The application must satisfy a stated testing requirement. Some colleges accept either SAT or ACT, while exceptional access cases or alternative credentials may have separate rules. Plan early enough to produce a valid result.

Test optional

The applicant decides whether to submit an SAT or ACT. The decision should consider the school's published cohort, the rest of the academic record and whether the score adds information, not a universal percentile shortcut.

Test flexible

The institution requires standardized evidence but may allow several ways to satisfy it, such as SAT, ACT, AP, IB or other credentials. Read the exact combinations and exceptions instead of treating flexible as optional.

Test blind

The institution does not use SAT or ACT scores in admission review even if they are sent. A score may still matter elsewhere, such as placement, scholarship or state-system requirements, so confirm the scope of the blind policy.

Self-reported

A self-reported score can be used during review, reducing the need to order official reports for every application. Admitted students who enroll generally must provide official verification, and discrepancies can jeopardize the offer.

Superscored

The college combines or reviews highest section results according to its own rule. SAT and ACT procedures can differ, and redesigned ACT section combinations require care. Report complete sittings as instructed and let the institution apply its method.

School policy library

See how the same score changes under eight college policies.

Use the institution page for the application cycle, reporting route and cohort behind each range.

Dartmouth

Submit either SAT or ACT. Highest sections across sittings are considered.

Johns Hopkins

SAT or ACT completes the first-year application. Class of 2029 middle 50% profile.

Carnegie Mellon

Submit SAT or ACT. SAT, ACT, AP, IB and other listed credentials can qualify.

UCLA

SAT/ACT excluded from admission and scholarship review. Fall 2025 admit unweighted GPA middle 50%.

UC Berkeley

Scores excluded from review, selection and scholarships. Current estimated unweighted GPA profile.

USC

No score required for 2027-28 first-year review. Share of Fall 2025 enrollees with SAT/ACT.

Georgia Tech

Every first-year file needs SAT or ACT. Fall 2024 enrolled middle 50%.

UT Austin

Submit SAT or ACT. Testing agency report completes the requirement.

Policy transitions and optional decisions

Eight more schools where the cycle or reporting rule changes the plan.

Move from the policy label to the exact entry term, score route and verification step.

Brown

First-year applicants submit SAT or ACT. Brown combines the strongest eligible sections.

Cornell

Fall 2026 entry and later first-year applicants. Best eligible sections can be considered.

Penn

Official page currently names 2025-26. Hardship can activate a separate application path.

Princeton

Test optional for first-year and transfer applicants. SAT or ACT becomes required.

Columbia

No SAT or ACT required for College or Engineering. Highest eligible sections across sittings.

Duke

First-year and transfer applicants in 2026-27. Official verification follows enrollment.

Northwestern

First-year and transfer applicants. Highest eligible sections across dates.

Vanderbilt

SAT or ACT remains optional. Highest eligible sections across sittings.

Questions students ask

What to know before you plan.

Which selective colleges currently require the SAT or ACT?
Current official guidance requires an SAT or ACT at Harvard, MIT, Yale and Stanford. This is not an exhaustive list, and every applicant should verify each college and cycle.
Do these colleges accept self-reported scores?
Yes. Harvard, MIT, Yale and Stanford all allow self-reported SAT or ACT scores during application review, with official verification required for enrolled students.
Does a middle 50% range create a minimum score?
No. A middle 50% range describes the 25th to 75th percentile of a specified cohort. It is not a cutoff and does not guarantee admission.
Is ACT Science required by MIT, Yale or Stanford?
Their current admissions guidance says ACT Science is not required or is optional. Applicants should still check whether another college or program on their list expects it.
Should I take the SAT or ACT for required colleges?
These colleges do not state a preference between the SAT and ACT. Choose the exam that produces the stronger result under timed, full-format practice.
Keep planning

Connect policy to a testing plan.

SAT vs ACTChoose the format that fits your pace and strengths.SAT dates and deadlinesPreserve a first sitting and a retake.ACT dates and deadlinesMatch registration and score release to applications.Colleges requiring testingUnderstand why policies are changing.

Fact basisCurrent official admissions testing pages from Harvard College, MIT Admissions, Yale Undergraduate Admissions and Stanford Undergraduate Admission. The named official publication defines the factual scope used here; students should match any time-sensitive rule to their exact exam administration or college entry term.

Turn the strictest policy into a workable plan.

Choose an exam, set a score target and start early enough to diagnose, improve and retest before the college's last usable sitting.

Compare SAT and ACTSee pricing
Expanded policy library

Twenty college policies, each tied to its own reporting and program context.

Open the institution page before choosing whether to test, submit or retake.

Harvard

SAT or ACT required. Applicants who cannot access SAT or ACT testing may use specified AP, IB, GCSE/A-Level or national leaving credentials only under the university’s exceptional-access route.

MIT

SAT or ACT required. MIT asks for the testing record but reads it beside mathematics and science preparation, teacher evidence and the applicant’s pattern of making and problem solving.

Stanford

SAT or ACT required. The published range describes a class admitted when testing was optional, so it must not be presented as a new required-policy cutoff.

Yale

SAT or ACT required. Older articles describe a broader test-flexible system. The current admissions page now requires SAT or ACT, so the current rule must control the page.

Georgetown

SAT or ACT required. Reporting is materially different from schools that let applicants submit a single self-reported superscore, so agency timing belongs in the plan.

Notre Dame

Test optional. The policy is tied to a named period. Applicants for a later entry term must verify that the optional policy has been extended before omitting a score.

NYU

Test optional with flexible score choices. Test optional and test flexible operate together: no score is required for the named cycle, while students who submit have several credential routes.

University of Michigan

Test optional in the current published guidance. A postponed early applicant may have a defined window to add a later score, which makes the testing decision a process rather than a permanent guess made months earlier.

University of Chicago

Test optional with No Harm review. No Harm is more specific than ordinary test optional: an applicant can submit a result without the university using it negatively in review.

Caltech

SAT or ACT required. Caltech explicitly rejects a perfect-score cutoff and asks applicants to demonstrate calculus, chemistry and physics preparation through coursework or approved substitutes.

Rice

SAT or ACT recommended, not required. Rice uses unusually direct language: scores are recommended because they can add academic evidence, while applicants without them still receive full consideration.

WashU

Test optional. WashU confirms no change to test optional for fall 2027 and adds Early Action, making the latest useful test date depend on the chosen application round.

Emory

Test optional for the currently published cycle. One Emory application can be read for two entry points, but the score choice and academic evidence should still fit the college experience the student is seeking.

Tufts

Test optional. Tufts explicitly encourages students with a 1300 SAT or 28 ACT to consider submitting, a lower guidance point than its middle 50% submitter profile.

Boston College

Test optional. The university publishes averages for recent classes, not a promise that one average is the submission line for every academic division.

Boston University

Test optional. BU extends test optional across every undergraduate school and scholarship program, so students do not need a separate testing strategy for merit consideration.

UVA

Test optional. UVA explicitly lets fall 2027 applicants choose whether SAT, ACT, AP or IB evidence enters review, while Virginia residency still changes the competitive context.

UNC–Chapel Hill

Test optional for most applicants, with a system GPA trigger. Residency is a major admissions context because North Carolina policy limits the out-of-state share; a university-wide score should never be presented without that distinction.

University of Florida

SAT, ACT or CLT required. Florida Bright Futures and UF admission are separate systems. Science may be optional in admission while scholarship rules require their own verification.

UIUC

Test optional. UIUC publishes college-level ranges that differ sharply: Social Work, ACES, Gies, Grainger and Information Sciences cannot be reduced to one campus target.

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