Which Colleges Require the SAT or ACT for 2026-2027? (Full List)

Last updated: July 2026

For six years, families could assume that a strong student might skip the SAT and stay competitive at a selective college. That assumption no longer holds. Six of the eight Ivy League universities require the SAT or ACT for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle. Yale closed its last workaround in May 2026. Columbia, which had extended test-optional admissions with no stated end date, reversed itself in June. If your student is applying this fall, the list below is the one that matters.

Testing policies change quickly, and several changed in the last two months alone. Everything below reflects each school's published policy as of July 2026. Always confirm on the admissions page of each college before you finalize your list.

Which admissions cycle this covers

The 2026-2027 admissions cycle covers students applying in fall 2026 for entry in fall 2027. That is the high school class of 2027, which colleges refer to as the class of 2031.

This sounds like a technicality, but it causes real confusion. Schools announce policies in different ways. Princeton's requirement is described in some places as "the 2027-2028 cycle" and in others as "fall 2028 enrollment." Those are the same students. When you read any policy announcement, find the entry year first, then work backward.

The four testing policies, explained

Most families think there are two categories. There are four, and the differences decide your entire testing strategy.

The single most misread word in that table is "optional." Optional describes the submission decision. It does not describe how much the score counts once you submit it.

Ivy League: who requires the SAT or ACT for 2026-2027

Dartmouth moved first, in February 2024, and paired the announcement with research from its own institutional research office finding that test scores predicted academic success more reliably than high school GPA, particularly for first-generation and low-income applicants. Harvard, Brown, Yale, Cornell, and Penn followed within roughly a year, each citing similar internal findings.

This cycle is the last one in which an Ivy League application can be submitted without a score.

Yale's change is the newest and the easiest to miss

On May 27, 2026, Yale announced that beginning with the next admissions cycle, first-year and transfer applicants must submit ACT or SAT scores.

This matters because of what it replaced. From 2024 through the 2025-2026 cycle, Yale ran a test-flexible policy that let applicants satisfy the requirement with AP or IB exam scores instead of the SAT or ACT. A number of high achievers built their testing plan around that option, taking AP exams seriously and skipping the SAT entirely. That path is now closed. AP and IB results are still welcome at Yale, but only alongside a required SAT or ACT score, not in place of one.

If your student took AP exams this past May and assumed those would carry a Yale application, that plan needs to change now.

Yale's own numbers explain the decision. The university reported that 92 percent of the class entering in fall 2026 included an ACT or SAT score, and that across the two most recent cycles, more than 80 percent of applicants chose to include scores. The policy was offering flexibility that most competitive applicants were not using.

Other selective private universities

Test-required for 2026-2027:

• MIT, which temporarily suspended testing during the pandemic and reinstated its requirement in 2022
• Caltech, reinstated in April 2024
• Stanford, reinstated in June 2024, effective for fall 2026 entry onward
• Georgetown, which has maintained a testing requirement. Note that Georgetown also joined the Common Application for the first time in 2026-2027

Still test-optional, with important nuances:

• Rice is test-optional but explicitly recommends submitting scores if you have them
• Vanderbilt is test-optional through fall 2027
• NYU is test-optional through the 2026-2027 cycle
• USC is test-optional, and scores are considered within holistic review without penalty for not submitting
• Duke, Emory, and Wake Forest remain test-optional
• University of Michigan remains test-optional and reviews its data annually

When a school "recommends" scores, treat that as a meaningful signal and read the school's guidance carefully, but remember that a recommendation is not the same as a formal requirement.

Public universities and systems that require scores

For most students, the public university mandates affect a far larger share of applications than the Ivy League does.

Test-required for 2026-2027:

• State University System of Florida, including the University of Florida, Florida State, Florida International, and the University of South Florida. Florida accepts the SAT, ACT, or CLT
• Seven Georgia public universities, including the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Augusta University, Kennesaw State, Georgia Southern, and Georgia College & State University. Other University System of Georgia campuses may require scores based on GPA or campus policy, so confirm each one
• University of Texas at Austin, reinstated in 2024
• University of Tennessee, including UT Knoxville
• United States service academies, which accept CLT scores as an additional testing option; confirm the current testing instructions with each academy
• Purdue University is test-expected rather than strictly test-required. Purdue expects applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, while allowing exceptions for students who were unable to test

Several of the requirements above are set at the state or system level, although the exact rule may still vary by campus.

The University of California is still test-free, with a policy review underway

This is the section California families most need, because the headlines are misleading.

The University of California remains test-free across all campuses. UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions decisions, even if you send them. California State University follows the same approach. Both systems allow scores to be submitted for course placement purposes, but only after admissions decisions have already been made.

In late May 2026, more than 600 UC faculty members, led by mathematicians at UC Berkeley, published an open letter asking the system to reinstate an SAT or ACT mathematics requirement for STEM applicants beginning with the fall 2027 cycle. They cited a UC San Diego workgroup report documenting a roughly thirtyfold increase since 2020 in incoming students whose math skills tested below high school level. UC leadership has not endorsed the letter.

Here is the part that matters for planning. UC launched a formal review of standardized testing in undergraduate admissions in June 2026. On July 13, 2026, the Academic Senate said it was revising the review timeline while continuing the work. Any proposed change would still require Academic Senate review, consultation with stakeholders, consideration by UC leadership, and approval by the Board of Regents. No testing-policy change has been approved.

In plain terms: if your student is applying to UC in November 2026, the system remains test-free. For later application cycles, recheck UC's official policy because the review timeline is still evolving and no change has been approved.

That does not mean California students should skip the SAT. If a single test-required school sits on your list, or if you are competing for merit aid elsewhere, you still need a score.

What changes for 2027-2028 and beyond

One development worth tracking: the Classic Learning Test, or CLT, is gaining ground as an accepted alternative. CLT reports that more than 350 colleges and universities accept it, and Florida's public universities accept it for admission and state scholarship eligibility. In the UNC System, students with a weighted GPA from 2.50 to below 2.80 must submit an SAT or ACT score for fall 2026 and beyond. For applicants outside that required score band, individual campuses may allow ACT, SAT, or CLT submissions, so students should confirm the policy at each campus.

What "test-optional" actually means now

Most four-year colleges in the United States are still test-optional or test-free. FairTest, which tracks these policies, has identified more than 2,000 institutions in that category. So the honest headline is not "the SAT is back everywhere." It is that the SAT is back at the schools most competitive students are applying to.

The more useful question is what happens at a test-optional school when you do not submit.

Look at the behavior rather than the policy. At Yale, 92 percent of the entering class submitted a score during a cycle when they were not strictly required to submit the SAT or ACT specifically. Across selective test-optional schools, the share of applicants submitting scores has climbed back toward pre-pandemic levels after falling sharply in 2021 and 2022.

When most enrolled students at a school reported scores, "optional" starts to describe a form rather than a strategy. And at many test-optional schools, scores are still required to compete for top merit scholarships, which means skipping the test can quietly cost a family money even where it does not cost an admission.

None of this means a low score helps you. It means the decision to submit is a strategic one that should be informed by the school's published range for enrolled first-year students who submitted scores, using that range as guidance rather than a hard cutoff.

How this should change your college list

Testing policy is now a college list variable, not a separate task you handle later. Three practical moves:

1. Build a policy column into your list. Every school on the list gets a label: required, optional, recommended, or test-free. Do this before you decide whether to test, not after.
2. Assume you need a score if even one required school is on the list. One Ivy, one Southern flagship, or one STEM institute is enough to make testing mandatory for the whole plan.
3. Do not assume today's policy holds. Brown announced its reinstatement in March 2024, after many students had already built their lists around applying without scores. Columbia extended its test-optional policy in 2023 with no stated end date and reversed it in June 2026. Policies have been changing faster than families expect, and often later than is convenient.

If your student's list leans toward the UC system, you have more flexibility than most. If it includes a mix of UC and private schools, you almost certainly need a score, because the UC campuses will ignore it while the private schools will not.

Building that list well is exactly the work we do inside our college consulting programs, where testing strategy is planned alongside coursework, activities, and essays rather than bolted on in the fall of senior year.

When to test for this cycle

Most early deadlines fall on November 1, and most regular decision deadlines fall in early January. Working backward, that means your student's final SAT or ACT sitting should be complete by October at the latest, which leaves room for one retake if the first score is not where it needs to be.

If your student has not tested yet and is applying this fall, register now rather than after the school year starts. Check current test dates directly with the College Board and ACT, since registration deadlines close several weeks before each sitting.

The SAT is now fully digital with performance-adaptive sections, so preparation approaches built for the older paper exam are no longer a good fit. Plan practice around the current format.

Frequently asked questions

Which colleges require the SAT or ACT for 2026-2027?

For the 2026-2027 cycle, the SAT or ACT is required at six Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, and Penn), as well as MIT, Caltech, Stanford, and Georgetown. Florida's public university system, seven Georgia public universities, UT Austin, and the University of Tennessee require scores. Purdue expects scores but permits limited exceptions. Princeton and Columbia are test-optional for this cycle only.

Do all Ivy League schools require the SAT?

Not for 2026-2027. Six of the eight require the SAT or ACT. Princeton and Columbia remain test-optional for this cycle, and both will require scores beginning with the 2027-2028 cycle. That makes 2026-2027 the final cycle in which an Ivy League application can be submitted without a score.

Does Yale still accept AP or IB scores instead of the SAT?

No. Yale announced on May 27, 2026 that first-year and transfer applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores. The test-flexible policy that allowed AP or IB results to satisfy the requirement ran from 2024 through the 2025-2026 cycle and has ended. AP and IB scores may still be included alongside an SAT or ACT score, but not in place of one.

Does the University of California require the SAT or ACT?

No. The University of California is test-free and will not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions decisions, even if submitted. Scores may be sent for course placement only after an admissions decision is made. Despite a faculty letter in May 2026 asking for a STEM math requirement, UC has not approved a testing-policy change. A formal review is underway, and the Academic Senate said in July 2026 that it was revising the review timeline.

What is the difference between test-optional and test-blind?

At a test-optional school, submitting a score is your choice, and any score you do submit is read and weighed as part of the review. At a test-blind or test-free school, such as every University of California campus, the score is not considered at all, even if you send it.

Should I take the SAT if the colleges on my list are test-optional?

In most cases, yes. At many selective test-optional schools, a large share of enrolled students reported scores, and many merit scholarships still require them. Taking the test preserves the choice. You can decide whether to submit after comparing your score with the school's published range for enrolled first-year students who submitted scores, treating that range as guidance rather than a cutoff.

What is the CLT, and which colleges accept it?

The Classic Learning Test is an alternative standardized exam that CLT reports is accepted by more than 350 colleges and universities. Florida's public universities accept it for admission and state scholarship eligibility. In the UNC System, students in the required GPA test-score band must submit an SAT or ACT score, while individual campuses may consider CLT scores for other applicants. U.S. service academies also accept CLT scores; confirm the current instructions with each academy.

Planning your testing strategy

Testing policy is one input in a much larger strategy. The students who handle this well are not the ones who react to each announcement. They are the ones whose college list, coursework, and testing timeline were built to work together from the start.