Updated: Tuesday, November 26, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the way higher education institutions review applications, with many colleges choosing to adopt a test-optional application review process. However, with record-breaking applicant pools and record-low admit rates, families are worried that test-optional may not really mean test-optional at all. Here is what we know, so far.
Test-optional institutions do not require submission of standardized testing scores but will still accept and review SAT and ACT scores when evaluating your application, should you choose to submit them. With the news that some schools may be sticking with test-optional, at least for a little while longer, it’s important to address just how optional test scores are to colleges with these policies.
It’s unclear how many colleges will choose to adopt a test-optional policy permanently. Many schools have committed to staying test-optional for the next few years. Some schools, like those in the University of California system, have even committed to remain test-blind for the foreseeable future, while Columbia University has implemented a test-optional policy for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, some schools have already reinstated their testing requirements, like MIT, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Yale.
While a test-optional policy may work in your favor if you do not have the strongest test results, it is typically best to err on the side of caution and submit scores when you can. While choosing to withhold standardized testing results might not hinder your application, it could mean the difference of admission between you and another strong candidate who did opt to submit results.
It is also important to consider that test scores are one of the most significant metrics used in calculating college rankings and colleges that adopt test-optional policies may favor candidates who submit scores for their own ranking purposes. After all, many ranking systems (including the one developed by U.S. News & World Report) will only factor in a college’s test scores if a certain percentage of their applicants submit them.
Many colleges and universities have reported record-breaking applicant numbers with record-low acceptance rates in recent years, so to make your application competitive, you should strongly consider submitting test scores. Remember, many schools will superscore your SAT and ACT results to ensure you have the best chance of admission.
Curious about the test-optional data for the schools on your best-fit college list? Keep reading to learn more about which percentage of accepted applicants at those schools submitted their SAT/ACT scores during the 2022-2023 admissions cycle (class of 2027).
| College | Importance of Scores in Admission Decisions | Score Submit Rates by Admitted and Matriculated Students* | Additional Data on Test Submission Rates |
| American University | Considered | 25% submitted SAT 11% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 42% (source: email from admissions office) |
| Amherst College | Very important | 38% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT |
|
| Auburn University | Very important | 18% submitted SAT 76% submitted ACT |
Early Action admits submitting test scores: 91% |
| Babson College | Very important | 30% submitted SAT 6% submitted ACT |
|
| Barnard College | Considered | 33% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 46% Early Decision admits submitting test scores: 47% |
| Bates College | Considered | 18% submitted SAT 10% submitted ACT |
|
| Baylor University | Very important | 45% submitted SAT 26% submitted ACT |
|
| Boston College | Considered | 28% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT |
|
| Boston University | Considered | 30% submitted SAT 10% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 41% Enrollees submitting test scores: 38% |
| Bowdoin College | Considered | 36.7% submitted SAT 21.8% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 56% |
| Brandeis University | Considered | 31% submitted SAT 12% submitted ACT |
|
| Brown University | Very important (Test scores required for fall 2025) |
54% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
|
| Bucknell University | Important | 67% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 42.94% Admits submitting test scores: 56.75% |
| California Institute of Technology | Important beginning in 2024-25 | N/A | Previously test-blind, but returning to requiring standardized test scores beginning in 2024-25 |
| Carleton College | Considered | 32% submitted SAT 28% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 62% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Considered | 51% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT |
|
| Case Western Reserve University | Considered | 43% submitted SAT 23% submitted ACT |
|
| Chapman University | Considered | 16% submitted SAT 8% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 26% Admits submitting test scores: 30% Merit award recipients submitting test scores: 32% |
| Claremont McKenna College | Considered | 29% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT |
|
| Clark University | Considered | 17% submitted SAT 4% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 23% |
| Clemson University | Important | 39% submitted SAT 21% submitted ACT |
|
| Colgate University | Important | 22% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT |
|
| College of Charleston | Considered | 21% submitted SAT 11% submitted ACT |
|
| College of the Holy Cross | Considered | 35% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT |
|
| College of William and Mary | Very important | 45% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 70% Admits submitting test scores: 70% |
| Colorado College | Considered | 20% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting tests scores: 53% |
| Columbia University | Considered | 40% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
|
| Cornell University | Unknown (Test scores recommended for fall 2025 and required for fall 2026) |
42% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 24% Admits submitting test scores: 42% Enrollees submitting test scores: 48% |
| Dartmouth College | Very important (Test scores required for fall 2025) |
Data not released | |
| Davidson College | Considered | 30% submitted SAT 27% submitted ACT |
|
| Denison University | Considered | 26% submitted SAT 25% submitted ACT |
|
| DePaul University | Very important | 42% submitted SAT ACT info not released |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 42% |
| Duke University | Data not yet released | Data not yet released | |
| Elon University | Varies by program | 24% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT |
|
| Emory University – Emory Campus | Important | 42% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 64% |
| Fairfield University | Considered | 21% submitted SAT 5% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 29% |
| Fordham University | Considered | 23% submitted SAT 9% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 36.60% Enrollees submitting test scores: 30.90% |
| George Washington University | Considered | 30% submitted SAT 12% submitted ACT |
|
| Georgetown University | Very important | 75% submitted SAT 34% submitted ACT |
Test scores required |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Considered | 77% submitted SAT 35% submitted ACT |
Test scores required |
| Gonzaga University | Important | 25% submitted SAT 9% submitted ACT |
|
| Grinnell College | Important | 30% submitted SAT 21% submitted ACT |
|
| Hamilton College | Considered | 33.77% submitted SAT 16.88% submitted ACT |
|
| Harvard University | Considered (Test scores required for fall 2025) |
52% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
|
| Harvey Mudd College | Considered | 51% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT |
|
| Haverford College | Considered | 40% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: ~50% |
| Indiana University | Important | 40.9% submitted SAT 16.2% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 54% |
| Johns Hopkins University | Considered | 41% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
|
| Lafayette College | Important | 31% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
|
| Lehigh University | Important | 33% submitted SAT 10% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 50% |
| Loyola Marymount University | Considered | 22% submitted SAT 9% submitted ACT |
|
| Loyola University – Chicago | Considered | 38% submitted SAT 21% submitted ACT |
|
| Macalester College | Considered | 30% submitted SAT 28% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 44% |
| Marquette University | Important | 14% submitted SAT 27% submitted SAT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 38% |
| Middlebury College | Important | 28% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 45% |
| New York University | Important | 27% submitted SAT 12% submitted ACT |
|
| Northeastern University | Very important | 27% submitted SAT 8% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: ~50% |
| Northwestern University | Considered | 50% submitted SAT 29% submitted ACT |
|
| Oberlin College | Considered | 35% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 59% |
| Olin College of Engineering | Considered | 46% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 54% |
| Pepperdine University | Considered | 14% submitted SAT 7% submitted ACT |
|
| Pomona College | Considered | 29% submitted SAT 15% submitted ACT |
|
| Princeton University | Very important | 57% submitted SAT 20% submitted ACT |
|
| Providence College | Considered | 60% submitted SAT 13% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 32% Admits submitting test scores: 41% Enrollees submitting test scores: 28% |
| Reed College | Test-blind | Test-blind | Test-blind |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Considered | 57% submitted SAT 13% submitted ACT |
|
| Rice University | Very important | 50% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 79% |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Considered | 43.5% submitted SAT 19.7% submitted ACT |
|
| Rutgers University, New Brunswick | Considered | 51% submitted SAT 5% submitted ACT |
|
| Santa Clara University | Considered | 25% submitted SAT 12% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 36% Admits submitting test scores: 41% |
| Sarah Lawrence College | Considered | 10% submitted SAT 8% submitted ACT |
|
| Smith College | Considered | 33% submitted SAT 15% submitted ACT |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Important | 17% submitted SAT 15% submitted ACT |
|
| Stanford University | Considered | 47% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
|
| Swarthmore College | Considered | 40% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
|
| Syracuse University | Considered | 22% submitted SAT 9% submitted ACT |
|
| Texas Christian University | Considered | 20% submitted SAT 15% submitted ACT |
|
| Texas A&M, College Station | Considered | 78% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
|
| Trinity College | Considered | 9% submitted SAT 4% submitted ACT |
|
| Trinity University | Considered | 40% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 54% Enrollees submitting test scores: 43% |
| Tufts University | Considered | 35% submitted SAT 18% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 50% Admits submitting test scores: 60% Enrollees submitting test scores: ~55% |
| Tulane University | Important | 14% submitted SAT 31% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 50% A majority of enrolling students did not submit test scores. |
| University of Chicago | Considered | 46% submitted SAT 30% submitted ACT |
|
| University of Colorado – Boulder | Considered | 31% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
|
| University of Denver | Important | 27% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 39% Enrollees submitting test scores: 38% |
| University of Florida | Important | 79% submitted SAT 41% submitted ACT |
Test scores required |
| University of Georgia | Important | 69.73% submitted SAT 46.69% submitted ACT |
Test scores required |
| University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign | Considered | 40% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 51% |
| University of Maryland – College Park | Considered | 41% submitted SAT 7% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 48.35% |
| University of Massachusetts – Amherst | Considered | 27% submitted SAT 3.9% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: <40% |
| University of Miami | Very important | 32% submitted SAT 21% submitted ACT |
|
| University of Michigan | Important | 52% submitted SAT 18% submitted ACT |
|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Considered | 34% submitted SAT 47% submitted ACT |
|
| University of Notre Dame | Considered | 30% submitted SAT 28% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 63% |
| University of Pennsylvania | Considered | 51% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT |
|
| University of Richmond | Important | 21% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT |
|
| University of Rochester | Considered | 27% submitted SAT 11% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 63% Enrollees submitting test scores: 49% |
| University of Texas at Austin | Considered (Test scores required for fall 2025) |
Not released | Not released |
| University of Southern California | Important | 32% submitted SAT 14% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 38% Admits submitting test scores: 52% Enrollees submitting test scores: 44% |
| University of Vermont | Considered | 35% submitted SAT 11% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 40% Admits submitting test scores: 48% |
| University of Virginia | Considered | 50% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 59.90% |
| University of Washington – Seattle | Importance of Scores in Admission Decisions: Not Considered (“At the UW, you will not be disadvantaged for sending low scores or for not sending scores. In fact, when reading your application, the reviewers will not see your test scores, if provided. However, test scores that fall above their middle 50% (see the freshman profile for more information) may be considered for a handful of students who may not otherwise be admitted.”) | 14% submitted SAT 5% submitted ACT |
|
| University of Wisconsin – Madison | Considered | 16% submitted SAT 38% submitted ACT |
|
| Vanderbilt University | Important | 25% submitted SAT 26% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 53.70% Admits submitting test scores: Similar to the percentage of applicants who submitted test scores |
| Vassar College | Considered | 26% submitted SAT 13% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 40% |
| Virginia Tech | Considered | 45% submitted SAT 9% submitted ACT |
|
| Wake Forest University | Considered | 26% submitted SAT 22% submitted ACT |
|
| Washington and Lee University | Considered | 27% submitted SAT 25% submitted ACT |
Enrollees submitting test scores: 52% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Very important | 29% submitted SAT 28% submitted ACT |
Applicants submitting test scores: 57% Enrollees submitted test scores: 56% |
| Wellesley College | Considered | 42% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT |
|
| Wesleyan University | Considered | 52% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT |
Admits submitting test scores: 58% |
| Williams College | Considered | 42% submitted SAT 18% submitted ACT |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Test-blind | Test-blind | Test-blind |
| Yale University | Considered (Test scores required for fall 2025) |
56% submitted SAT 26% submitted ACT |
*Data includes any students who submitted both the SAT and ACT.
Keep checking back for updates as more colleges release data!
Not sure whether you should apply test-optional or not? IvyWise can help! Our team of expert college admissions counselors can give a thorough evaluation of your applicant profile and create a strategic plan of action based on your grades, test scores, activities, interests, and more. Contact us today for more information and to set up an Initial Consultation.
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