As the new U.S. undergraduate application season draws closer, SAT/ACT standardized test policies have once again become one of the most discussed topics among applicant families.
In recent years, many U.S. universities have adopted Test-Optional policies, allowing students to decide whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. However, judging from the trends of the past two years, standardized testing policies are clearly being rolled back.
Columbia University recently announced that starting from the 2027-2028 application cycle, all first-year and transfer undergraduate applicants will be required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Source: Columbia
With this, Columbia becomes the last Ivy League school to reinstate the standardized test score requirement.
At the same time, Claremont McKenna College, one of the top liberal arts colleges in the U.S., has also updated its standardized testing policy: starting from Fall 2028, all applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Source: CMC
It is evident that from Ivy League schools to top comprehensive universities, and even highly-ranked liberal arts colleges, more and more institutions are re-emphasizing the referential value of standardized test scores in admissions.
As more schools reinstate test requirements, the Fall 2027 application season may become the last year before test-optional policies drastically shrink.
Summary of Standardized Testing Requirements for U.S. Universities for Fall 2027
As of now, several universities have updated their standardized testing requirements for undergraduate applications in Fall 2027:
Standardized Test Score Required
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Cornell University
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Johns Hopkins University
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Yale University
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Carnegie Mellon University (required for School of Computer Science)
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Dartmouth College
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Stanford University
And also:
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Georgia Institute of Technology
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University of Georgia
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Harvard University
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University of Pennsylvania
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Brown University
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Georgetown University
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University of Florida
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University of Texas at Austin
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Purdue University, etc.
Standardized Test Score Optional
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Princeton University (will resume mandatory requirement starting Fall 2028)
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Duke University
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Rice University
And also:
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University of Chicago
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University of Notre Dame
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Washington University in St. Louis
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (required if GPA is below 2.8)
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University of Southern California
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University of Wisconsin–Madison
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New York University
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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, etc.
Standardized Test Score Not Considered
The University of California system currently still adopts a Test-blind policy, not considering SAT or ACT standardized test scores in admissions decisions.
Source: UC official website
However, even UC, which was previously adamant, has started to reconsider its stance on requiring standardized tests for freshman admissions this year.
Source: dailybruin
Previously, an increasing number of UC faculty expressed concerns about freshmen's weak math foundations and called for the reinstatement of SAT/ACT requirements for STEM applicants, making them an important factor in admissions evaluation.
The New York Times published a special article on "what can serve as an application advantage," mentioning that "Yale's admissions office openly admitted that SAT/ACT scores are less influenced by socioeconomic factors than essays and recommendation letters," and strongly questioned the effectiveness of the essay prompt as a fair measure.
Source: nytimes
As more and more top universities re-emphasize the importance of standardized test scores, "To Test or Not to Test" may no longer be a question at all.
Why Are Universities Resuming Standardized Test Requirements?
Why are universities across the country eager to restore mandatory SAT/ACT standardized testing requirements? The reasons have been traceable for some time.
GPA Inflation Intensifies, Standardized Tests Regain Importance as a Reference
In recent years, high school GPAs in the U.S. have continued to rise, but students' academic readiness has not kept pace. Data shows that the average high school math GPA increased from 3.02 in 2010 to 3.32 in 2022, with GPA inflation becoming increasingly apparent and the differentiating power of transcripts declining.
When transcripts increasingly fail to reflect true differences among students, the value of SAT/ACT scores rebounds accordingly.
Source: thecollegeinvestor
Standardized Scores Improve Admissions Process Effectiveness
Education experts say that restoring SAT/ACT standardized testing helps enhance the efficiency of the admissions process and, to some extent, ensures fairness and transparency.
Although some believe that students from high-income families typically have more resources for test preparation, other materials like recommendation letters, extracurricular activities, and personal statements are more prone to subjective biases.
Including standardized test scores in admissions evaluation helps admission officers identify promising applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. For instance, students from areas with limited educational resources or minority groups can gain more opportunities by achieving high scores on exams like the SAT.
Source: Skeptic
Number of Test-Takers Not Decreasing
Despite the growing number of Test-Optional policies at universities in recent years, the SAT remains popular among many students. According to College Board data, approximately 62% of the 2025 graduating class in New York State took the SAT.
Source: College Board
Common App data shows that the number of applications submitting SAT/ACT scores increased by about 10% compared to the previous application cycle, while the number of applicants not submitting scores decreased. Even in the Test-Optional era, standardized test scores remain an important way for many applicants to proactively demonstrate their academic strength.
Source: NPR
Some people complain all day about being against standardized tests, thinking they're unfair, but in the end, they still secretly compete and get great scores. According to data on enrolled freshmen in recent years, at test-optional schools, those admitted still tend to be students with SAT/ACT scores. The so-called "not looking at test scores" may just be a politically correct facade.
Source: ivywise
According to previously released admission data from USC, as a test-optional university, applicants who submitted SAT/ACT scores still had a higher admission rate than those who did not.
Since everyone is submitting test scores, why not directly reinstate the mandatory requirement? Not making it mandatory might instead affect fair competition. Therefore, it's natural that universities are now restoring mandatory standardized testing requirements.
Standardized tests are returning to the big stage of U.S. undergraduate applications. Preparing for the SAT/ACT is not just an option but a necessity.
Scoring well on standardized tests means a wider range of school choices. When high school experiences are similar, having high standardized test scores as hard power can help increase your chances of standing out and impressing top schools.
It's an acknowledged fact that U.S. undergraduate applications are getting harder. CheersYou（清柚教育） advises applicants in the new cycle not to give up on the opportunity to achieve strong test scores. At the same time, the application is a complex process; besides standardized tests, every component is crucial, so don't focus on one at the expense of another.
We hope everyone prepares diligently and reaps their desired offers in the application season!
