**Updated April 25, 2024**
During the Covid-19 pandemic, most colleges and universities instated a temporary test-optional policy. This meant that students were not required to submit SAT or ACT scores to apply for admission. However, there were always exceptions, and some schools had been experimenting with test optional and test flexible policies even before the pandemic. Now, four years later, higher ed institutions have begun to see the results of their test-optional policies and are updating them as they see fit. Some, such as Wake Forest, stand by their test-optional policy, while others, such as Dartmouth, claim that test scores helped them contextualize a student’s academic experience. Other institutions, such as MIT, claim that the SAT and ACT remain an important predictive factor for a student’s performance in college.
Important Note for International Students: While schools may use the broad terminology of “test blind” or “test optional,” this language is only in reference to aptitude tests such as the SAT and ACT. If you are an international student, be sure to carefully review each university’s English Language Proficiency requirement, as they typically include a TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo score. If you learn in English, you can typically request a waiver for this requirement – but not always. Be prepared, and do your due diligence.
Below, we have compiled a list of the top 100 national universities, ranked by US News, along with their test policies and links where you can find further details. Please also note the terminology used by schools to define their policies, explained below.
Test Policy Terminology
| Test Optional | Students are encouraged, but not required, to submit their SAT or ACT scores if they believe it is an accurate reflection of their abilities. Note that exceptions to this policy may still apply to students who are homeschooled or recruited athletes. |
| Test Scores Required | Students must submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application. |
| Test Free/Test Blind | SAT or ACT scores are not reviewed or considered, even if students submit them. |
| Test Flexible | Test scores are required, but they are not limited to the SAT or ACT. Common substitutions are a certain number of AP or IB scores, but it is best to review the school’s policy in depth to be sure. |
Test Policies of the Top 100 US Universities
| Rank (US News) | School | Testing Policy Policies with an asterisk (*) are expected to be updated in the coming weeks. |
| 1. | Princeton University | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 2. | Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | Test Scores Required |
| 3. (tie) | Harvard University | Test Scores Required |
| 3. (tie) | Stanford University | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 5. | Yale University | Test Flexible (ACT, AP, IB, or SAT accepted) |
| 6. | University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 7. (tie) | California Institute of Technology (CalTech) | Test Scores Required |
| 7. (tie) | Duke University | Test Optional, expiring 2024* |
| 9. (tie) | Brown University | Test Scores Required |
| 9. (tie) | Johns Hopkins University | Test Optional, expiring 2026 |
| 12. (tie) | Columbia University | Test Optional |
| 12. (tie) | Cornell University | Test Recommended in 2024-25, Test Scores Required for 2025-2026 |
| 15. (tie) | University of California, Berkeley | Test Free |
| 15. (tie) | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | Test Free |
| 17. | Rice University | Test Optional |
| 18. (tie) | Dartmouth College | Test Scores Required |
| 18. (tie) | Vanderbilt University | Test Optional, expiring 2027 |
| 20. | University of Notre Dame | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 21. | University of Michigan – Ann Arbor | Test Flexible for 2024, Test Optional for 2025 |
| 22. (tie) | Georgetown University | Test Scores Required |
| 22. (tie) | University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) | Test Optional, expiring 2024* |
| 24. (tie) | Carnegie Mellon University | Test Optional |
| 24. (tie) | Emory University | Test Optional |
| 24. (tie) | University of Virginia | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 24. (tie) | Washington University in St. Louis | Test Optional |
| 28. (tie) | University of California, Davis | Test Free |
| 28. (tie) | University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | Test Free |
| 28. (tie) | University of Florida | Test Scores Required |
| 28. (tie) | University of Southern California (USC) | Test Optional |
| 32. | University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) | Test Scores Required |
| 33. (tie) | Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) | Test Scores Required |
| 33. (tie) | University of California, Irvine | Test Free |
| 35. (tie) | New York University (NYU) | Test Optional |
| 35. (tie) | University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) | Test Free |
| 35. (tie) | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Test Optional |
| 35. (tie) | University of Wisconsin – Madison | Test Optional, expiring spring 2025* |
| 39. | Boston College | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 40. (tie) | Rutgers University – New Brunswick | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 40. (tie) | Tufts University | Test Optional, expiring 2026 |
| 40. (tie) | University of Washington (UW) | Test Optional |
| 43. (tie) | Boston University (BU) | Test Optional, expiring 2026 |
| 43. (tie) | The Ohio State University | Test Optional, expiring spring 2026 |
| 43. (tie) | Purdue University | Test Scores Required |
| 46. | University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 47. (tie) | Lehigh University | Test Optional |
| 47. (tie) | Texas A&M University | Test Optional |
| 47. (tie) | University of Georgia | Test Scores Required |
| 47. (tie) | University of Rochester | Test Optional |
| 47. (tie) | Virginia Tech | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 47. (tie) | Wake Forest University | Test Optional |
| 53. (tie) | Case Western Reserve University | Test Optional |
| 53. (tie) | Florida State University | Test Scores Required |
| 53. (tie) | Northeastern University | Test Optional, expiring 2026 |
| 53. (tie) | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 53. (tie) | William & Mary | Test Optional |
| 58. (tie) | SUNY Stony Brook | Test Optional |
| 58. (tie) | University of Connecticut (UConn) | Test Optional, expiring 2026 |
| 60. (tie) | Brandeis University | Test Optional |
| 60. (tie) | Michigan State University (MSU) | Test Optional |
| 60. (tie) | North Carolina State University | Test Optional, expiring 2024* |
| 60. (tie) | The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) – University Park | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 60. (tie) | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 60. (tie) | Santa Clara University | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 60. (tie) | University of California, Merced | Test Free |
| 67. (tie) | George Washington University (GWU) | Test Optional |
| 67. (tie) | Syracuse University | Test Optional |
| 67. (tie) | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Test Optional |
| 67. (tie) | University of Miami | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 67. (tie) | University of Pittsburgh | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 67. (tie) | Villanova University | Test Optional, expiring 2026 |
| 73. (tie) | Binghamton University – SUNY | Test Optional |
| 73. (tie) | Indiana University – Bloomington | Test Optional |
| 73. (tie) | Tulane University | Test Optional |
| 76. (tie) | Colorado School of Mines | Test Optional |
| 76. (tie) | Pepperdine University | Test Optional |
| 76. (tie) | Stevens Institute of Technology | Test Optional, expiring 2026 |
| 76. (tie) | University at Buffalo – SUNY | Test Optional |
| 76. (tie) | University of California, Riverside | Test Free |
| 76. (tie) | University of Delaware | Test Optional |
| 82. (tie) | Rutgers University – Newark | Test Blind |
| 82. (tie) | University of California, Santa Cruz | Test Free |
| 82. (tie) | University of Illinois – Chicago | Test Optional |
| 82. (tie) | Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) | Test Blind |
| 86. (tie) | Clemson University | Test Optional |
| 86. (tie) | Marquette University | Test Optional |
| 86. (tie) | New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) | Test Optional, expiring 2024* |
| 89. (tie) | Fordham University | Test Optional |
| 89. (tie) | Southern Methodist University (SMU) | Test Optional |
| 89. (tie) | Temple University | Test Optional |
| 89. (tie) | University of South Florida | Test Scores Required |
| 93. (tie) | Auburn University | Test Optional |
| 93. (tie) | Baylor University | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 93. (tie) | Gonzaga University | Test Optional |
| 93. (tie) | Loyola Marymount University (LMU) | Test Optional |
| 93. (tie) | University of Iowa | Test Optional |
| 98. (tie) | Drexel University | Test Optional, expiring 2024 |
| 98. (tie) | Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) | Test Optional |
| 98. (tie) | Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) | Test Optional |
| 98. (tie) | Rutgers University – Camden | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
| 98. (tie) | Texas Christian University (TCU) | Test Optional, expiring 2025 |
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