Test-Optional Admissions in 2026: Which Colleges Require the SAT or ACT?

For applications submitted during fall 2026, identify your college entry year before reading a testing-policy list. The 2026–27 application cycle generally concerns fall 2027 entry. A college announcing a requirement for the 2027–28 cycle is usually discussing fall 2028 entry.

This table covers 11 institutions or systems for fall 2027 first-year entry, using their own admissions instructions checked November 2, 2026. Check separate rules for transfer applicants, specialized programs, and students educated outside the United States.

Understand the three basic policies

Test-required: submit a qualifying result unless you meet a published exception or receive an approved hardship waiver.

Test-optional: you may submit SAT or ACT scores or apply without them. Complete the other required academic records and application materials either way.

Scores not considered for admission means sending an SAT or ACT result does not add an admissions credential. The University of California follows this approach for admissions and scholarships. Scores may have other permitted uses, such as satisfying specified requirements or placement, under UC’s separate rules.

Selected first-year policies for fall 2027 entry

Institution	SAT/ACT policy	Important qualification
Brown	Required	First-year requirement resumed with the 2024–25 application cycle
Cornell	Required	Applies across undergraduate colleges and schools for fall 2026 entry onward
Dartmouth	Required testing	Applicants educated outside the U.S. have additional approved exam options
Harvard	Required	Approved alternatives exist in exceptional cases of limited SAT/ACT access
Penn	Required	A hardship waiver is available to eligible applicants who have not taken either test
Stanford	Required	Allows self-reported scores for application review
Yale	Required	AP or IB scores alone no longer satisfy the requirement
Princeton	Optional for fall 2027	SAT/ACT requirement returns for fall 2028 entry
Columbia College and Columbia Engineering	Optional for fall 2027	SAT/ACT requirement returns for fall 2028 entry, with a waiver process
Bowdoin	Optional	Submitted scores are considered when the applicant elects review
University of California	Not considered for admission or scholarships	UC confirms the fall 2027 policy remains unchanged during its policy review

Save each college’s official policy link and entry term in your application tracker. Recheck that page when registering for a test or deciding whether to submit a score.

Yale, Princeton and Columbia: watch the effective dates

Yale announced its current policy on May 27, 2026: first-year and transfer applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores. Applicants may include AP or IB results as additional academic information.

Princeton explicitly remains optional for applicants seeking fall 2027 entry and says applicants who omit SAT/ACT scores will not be disadvantaged. Its requirement returns for fall 2028 first-year and transfer applicants; it identifies an exception for active military personnel.

Columbia’s June 12, 2026, announcement similarly distinguishes the two entry years. Columbia College and Columbia Engineering remain optional for the 2026–27 application cycle, then require SAT/ACT results for students entering in fall 2028, with a waiver option for applicants facing challenges.

Keep separate columns for application cycle, entry term, and policy effective date. For example, Princeton’s fall 2027 applicant can choose whether to submit, while a fall 2028 applicant must plan for required testing.

Bowdoin’s optional policy and UC’s test-free policy

Bowdoin lets applicants choose score review by test type—for example, submitting SAT while withholding ACT. It accepts self-reported results for review and verifies scores for students who enroll.

UC excludes SAT and ACT results from admission and scholarship decisions. Its public guidance confirms this policy for applications due November 30, 2026, for fall 2027 entry, while a broader admissions-policy review continues.

Track English-proficiency testing separately. Yale requires it for non-native English speakers without at least two years of enrollment in an English-medium school.

Exceptions depend on circumstances

Dartmouth distinguishes where an applicant attended high school, rather than simply their citizenship. Students educated in the United States submit SAT or ACT results. Students educated outside the U.S. may instead use three AP examinations, qualifying IB Diploma results or predictions, qualifying A-Level results or predictions, or final results from an equivalent standardized national examination. Its instructions specify who must submit predictions and which results are acceptable.

Harvard normally requires SAT or ACT. Its exceptional-access provisions permit specified AP, IB, GCSE/A-Level, or externally assessed national leaving-exam results when the applicant’s circumstances meet the policy. Review the access criteria before choosing an alternative.

Penn’s hardship waiver covers applicants who have not taken SAT or ACT and face circumstances such as unavailable test centers, financial hardship, or civil unrest. Applicants who have already taken either test must submit their scores. Use Penn’s process to request the waiver.

Reporting and testing deadlines differ

Stanford permits self-reporting for review and requires official results for self-reported sittings if an admitted student enrolls. Its latest testing windows are the end of September for ACT and end of October for SAT under Restrictive Early Action, and the end of December for Regular Decision.

Penn’s published 2026–27 table lists November 7, 2026, SAT and October 17, 2026, ACT as its latest Early Decision tests. For Regular Decision, it lists December 5 SAT and December 12 ACT.

Princeton requires testing-agency reports when an applicant elects to submit scores. Budget the reporting time for that requirement alongside institutions that accept self-reporting.

Record the last accepted test date, reporting method and any portal update instructions for each institution. If your planned test occurs after a school’s permitted window, do not assume the admissions office will delay review.

Use score ranges without turning them into cutoffs

Stanford’s Class of 2029 score-submitters had middle-50% ranges of 1520–1570 SAT and 34–36 ACT under an optional policy. Use those ranges as context for that cohort. Stanford sets no minimum score and evaluates testing within the full application.

At an optional college, assess the score alongside coursework, school context, and the institution’s guidance. Note whether published ranges describe admitted or enrolled students and whether only score-submitters are included.

Our SAT versus ACT guide compares current formats and official practice resources. Choose a test and preparation schedule that leave time for the accepted testing and reporting dates.

Build a usable testing checklist

For each college, write down the entry term, applicant category, requirement, permitted alternatives, last testing date and score-reporting method. Add separate rows for English proficiency and any program-specific requirements.

Then reconcile that list with your existing results and registered test dates. Correct a missing required result before spending time on optional application extras. Keep the broader document and essay deadlines in the college application timeline.

Finish by checking that every required test or approved alternative has reached the correct application record. Save confirmations and use the applicant portal to resolve missing results before the college’s deadline.