Test-Required Colleges 2026: The Updated List of SAT/ACT Required Schools

As COVID-19 fades, test requirements are coming back. Many colleges require SATs and ACTs, and plenty of “optional” schools still use scores as a major advantage when they are strong.

If you apply without scores, you can still win, but you have to compensate. Your grades and rigor have to be louder, your activities have to show real outcomes, and your essays have to carry more weight. Skipping tests does not remove pressure, it relocates it. We help students figure out exact where to prove their talent without a test score. 

Our advice? Take the SAT or ACT whenever you can. If you have a good score, it can lift you fast, especially at selective schools, for competitive majors, and for merit money!

Below is the updated list of colleges and universities that are currently test required, so you can plan like a strategist, not like someone hoping policies magically work in your favor.

Ivy League & Highly Selective Private Universities

These elite institutions have recently pivoted back to requiring test scores to help them evaluate massive applicant pools:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Harvard University
• Yale University (Note: Yale is "test-flexible," meaning you must submit either the SAT, ACT, AP, or IB scores)
• Brown University
• Dartmouth College
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
• Stanford University
• University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
• Cornell University (Required for students applying for Fall 2026 and beyond)
• Johns Hopkins University (Required for students applying for Fall 2026 and beyond)
• Georgetown University
• Carnegie Mellon University (Required for certain programs and slowly phasing out their test-optional policy)
• University of Miami

Premier Public Universities & State Flagships

If you are looking at large, highly-ranked state schools, several top-tier flagships mandate test scores:

• University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
• University of Florida (UF)
• University of Georgia (UGA)
• Purdue University
• Florida State University (FSU)
• The Ohio State University

Entire State University Systems

Some states have issued blanket mandates across their entire public university networks. If you apply to a public school in these states, expect to submit a score:

• Florida: All 12 universities in the State University System of Florida require test scores (including UCF, USF, FIU, Florida Atlantic, etc.).
• Georgia: The University System of Georgia requires scores for its most selective schools. Starting in Fall 2026, this mandate expands to include Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State, and Augusta University.
• Tennessee: The University of Tennessee system (including UT Knoxville and UT Chattanooga) and the University of Memphis require test scores.

U.S. Military Academies

The federal service academies have historically maintained strict, mandatory testing requirements:

• United States Military Academy (West Point)
• United States Naval Academy (Annapolis)
• United States Air Force Academy
• United States Merchant Marine Academy

The "Conditional" Schools

A few schools have boundaries where they are technically test-optional, but functionally require scores for most applicants:

• Auburn University: For Fall 2026, test-optional status is available to fewer than 5% of applicants with at least a 3.6 GPA. Auburn will require test scores from all applicants starting in Fall 2027.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC): Standardized test scores are strictly required if your weighted high school GPA is below a 2.8.

International Schools

• University of Oxford (UK): Requires a 1470+ SAT or 32+ ACT, plus 3 to 4 AP scores of 5.
• University of Cambridge (UK): Requires a 1460+ SAT or 32+ ACT, plus 5 AP scores of 5.
• Western University (Canada): Strictly requires a minimum 1190 SAT or 24 ACT for US applicants to be considered.
• University College London (UCL): Top programs require up to five APs, but you can use a 1500+ SAT or 34+ ACT to reduce the AP requirement to just two or three.
• University of Edinburgh: Will accept combinations, such as two AP scores plus a 1290+ SAT or 27+ ACT.
• King's College London (KCL): Looks for a 1350–1450 SAT paired with APs to meet their entry thresholds.