--- title: "More Colleges Are Requiring Standardized Tests | Elite Prep" description: "High school students applying to colleges that require the SAT or ACT scores are also likely to apply to colleges that are test-optional." url: "https://eliteprep.com/blog/more-colleges-are-requiring-standardized-tests/" image: "https://media.eliteprep.com/iStock-594949892-webp-card.jpg" language: "en" datePublished: "2025-02-27T19:48:29.000Z" source: "eliteprep build" --- [Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) [ACT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/act/) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) # More Colleges Are Requiring Standardized Tests – What This Means for Students Applying to Test-optional Schools February 27, 2025 3 min read [Explore Digital SAT® Prep](https://eliteprep.com/programs/sat-prep/) ![Red brick collegiate Gothic university building with twin towers and an arched entrance at dusk, seen across an empty crosswalk.](https://eliteprep.com/media/iStock-594949892-webp-w800.webp) The University of Pennsylvania [**recently announced**](https://admissions.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/preparing-your-application/testing) that it will require the SAT or ACT for students applying during the 2025-26 application cycle, expanding the number of highly selective colleges and universities requiring standardized tests as a part of the college admission process. ## **Here’s a list of top colleges and universities that require applicants to submit standardized tests when they apply to college:** ## **List of Colleges that Require the SAT/ACT** - **Brown University** - **California Institute of Technology (Caltech)** - **Cornell University** - **Dartmouth College** - **Georgetown University** - **Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)** - **Harvard University** - **Johns Hopkins University** - **Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)** - **Purdue University** - **Stanford University** - **University of Florida** - **University of Georgia** - **University of Miami** - **University of Pennsylvania** - **University of Texas – Austin** - **U.S. Air Force Academy** - **U.S. Coast Guard Academy** - **U.S. Merchant Marine Academy** - **U.S. Military Army Academy at West Point** - **U.S. Naval Academy** - **Yale University (test flexible)** ## **What types of colleges and universities require standardized test scores?** - **Six Ivy League universities** now require standardized test scores – Columbia University is test-optional permanently, and Princeton University extended its test-optional policy for students applying in the fall of 2025. - **Several top technology-focused universities** require standardized test scores, including Caltech, Georgia Tech, and MIT. - **Public universities in Florida and Georgia** require the SAT or ACT as a part of the college application. Several other public universities require standardized test scores as well, including Purdue University and the University of Texas–Austin. - **All five military academies in the United States** require the SAT or ACT for admissions. ## **Colleges and universities essentially offer two reasons for reinstating standardized test requirements:** - Standardized tests, along with high school coursework and grades, help **predict a student’s ability to succeed at these institutions.** In effect, colleges are saying that courses and grades alone are not enough to make this determination. - Standardized tests help college admission offices **identify students from under-resourced schools who have the potential to succeed at these institutions**, even though test scores for these students might be below average for those institutions. ## **What does the expanding list of colleges requiring standardized test scores mean for students applying to test-optional schools?** **Students planning to apply to test-optional colleges should consider taking the SAT or ACT, and students who do not submit a test score might be at a competitive disadvantage.** While many top colleges and universities are still test-optional, **students applying to colleges that require the SAT or ACT are also applying to test-optional schools.** Students who submit strong standardized test scores will have an edge over their competition because college admission officers will have additional information to distinguish these students from other applicants who have taken similar classes in high school and achieved a similar GPA Furthermore, **a majority of students enrolled at top colleges and universities that are test-optional submitted either an SAT or ACT score,** indicating a strong correlation between submitting standardized test scores and getting into top colleges. **_The percentage of enrolled students at top colleges and universities who submitted either an SAT or ACT score (according to the most recent Common Data Set):_** - **[Amherst College](https://www.amherst.edu/system/files/C%20First-Time%2C%20First-Year%20Admission_3.pdf) (2024-25)**: 39% SAT, 22% ACT - **[Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.cmu.edu/ira/CDS/pdf/cds_2022_23/first-time,-first-year-freshman-admission.pdf) (2023-24)**: 51% SAT, 17% ACT - **[Columbia University](https://opir.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Common%20Data%20Set/2023-24_Columbia_College_and_Columbia_Engineering_CDS.pdf) (2023-24)**: 40% SAT, 22% ACT - **[Emory University](https://provost.emory.edu/planning-administration/_includes/documents/sections/institutional-data/Emory-Common-Data-Set-2023-2024.pdf) (2023-24)**: 42% SAT, 19% ACT - **[Northwestern University](https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/2023-2024.pdf) (2023-24)**: 50% SAT, 29% ACT - **[Princeton University](https://ir.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf2041/files/documents/cds_2324_princeton.pdf) (2023-24)**: 57% SAT, 20% ACT - **[Rice University](https://oie.rice.edu/sites/g/files/bxs4401/files/inline-files/CDS_2023-24_WEBSITE.pdf) (2023-24)**: 50% SAT, 22% ACT - **[University of Chicago](https://data.uchicago.edu/files/2024/06/UChicago_CDS_2023-24.pdf) (2023-24)**: 46% SAT, 30% ACT - **[University of Michigan](https://obp.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/pubdata/cds/CDS_2023-24_UMAA_10-25-24.pdf) (2023-24)**: 52% SAT, 18% ACT - **[University of Virginia](https://ira.virginia.edu/sites/g/files/jsddwu1106/files/2023-2024-V3.1%20CDS_FINAL_508.pdf) (2023-24)**: 50% SAT, 16% ACT - **[Yale University](https://oir.yale.edu/sites/default/files/cds_yale_2023-24_vf_20240320.pdf) (2023-24)**: 56% SAT, 22% ACT - **[Washington University in St Louis](https://washu.edu/app/uploads/2024/06/wustl-cds-2021-2022.pdf) (2021-22)**: 25% SAT, 41% ACT *Elite Prep offers a [**test prep program**](https://eliteprep.com/programs/#test-prep) for the new digital SAT with multiple **full-length online practice tests** and **lessons and practice problems covering all of the topics and skills you need** to achieve an outstanding score.* *Contact [**your local Elite Prep office**](https://eliteprep.com/locations/) to speak with one of our counselors and discuss how Elite Prep will help you achieve your target score!* [Back to top](https://eliteprep.com/blog/more-colleges-are-requiring-standardized-tests/#top) ## Free Tools for This Topic - [SAT score percentiles](https://eliteprep.com/sat-percentiles/) - [SAT & ACT superscore calculator](https://eliteprep.com/superscore-calculator/) - [ACT score percentiles](https://eliteprep.com/act-percentiles/) ## More on This Topic [All posts in Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/) ![Two students in safety glasses work on notes and a metal robot beside a laptop in a classroom lab.](https://media.eliteprep.com/iStock-1133836105-webp-w400.webp) [Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/) ### [Why High School Students Planning to Study Engineering and Science in College Should Take the SAT and ACT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/why-high-school-students-planning-to-study-engineering-and-science-in-college-should-take-the-sat-and-act/) For high school students aspiring to pursue careers in engineering and science… March 7, 2025 ![Logos of Brown, Caltech, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, NYU, Purdue, Stanford, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Yale](https://media.eliteprep.com/Colleges%2BSAT%2BRequired%2BLogos%2BAug%2B2024-webp-w400.webp) [Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/) [Resources](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/resources/) ### [List of Colleges and Universities that Require Standardized Tests (Updated August 2024)](https://eliteprep.com/blog/list-of-colleges-and-universities-that-require-standardized-tests-updated-august-2024/) Top universities like Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and MIT are reinstating SAT/ACT testing requirements for freshman admissions… August 23, 2024 ![Circular logos for Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, University of Georgia, Georgetown, Purdue, and Georgia Tech over a tablet](https://media.eliteprep.com/Dartmouth%2BBrownetc%2BSAT%2BRequired%2BLogos-webp-w400.webp) [Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/) [Resources](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/resources/) ### [The End of Test-Optional Policies in College Admission?](https://eliteprep.com/blog/2024/14/the-end-of-test-optional-policies-in-college-admission/) What do Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, the University of Georgia, Georgetown, Purdue, and Georgia Tech have in common? March 9, 2024 ![Students walking a path across a sunny green lawn toward a Gothic red-brick university building with green-domed towers.](https://media.eliteprep.com/Yale-1-webp-w400.webp) [Students](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/students/) [Resources](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/resources/) ### [Trends in College Admissions in 2024](https://eliteprep.com/blog/trends-in-college-admissions-in-2024/) The process of admission to colleges and universities in the United States is constantly changing. March 27, 2024 ## Test Dates - Next: SAT: December 5, 2026 · Registration closes November 20, 2026 - Next: PSAT/NMSQT: October 1, 2026 – October 30, 2026 · Arranged by your school [See all test dates →](https://eliteprep.com/test-dates/) ## Ready to Study This with an Instructor? Elite Prep offers this program at centers across the country. Review what the course covers, or find the center nearest you. 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