Do You Need to Take the SAT? A 2026 Update Amid Policy Changes

Summary:

Do you need to take the SAT in 2026? If you’re aiming at highly selective colleges, you should almost certainly take the SAT (or ACT). Several elite schools have reinstated test-required policies in 2026, and many others strongly encourage scores even while remaining technically test-optional. For everyone else, the test is increasingly worth taking anyway. A strong score helps almost everywhere it is allowed, and a missing one can quietly impact a student’s candidacy or scholarship opportunities. 

The Test-Optional Era is Ending at Highly Selective Colleges 

The biggest story heading into the 2026-2027 admissions cycle is that many of America’s hardest colleges to get into have reinstated standardized testing requirements after experimenting with test-optional policies.

Within the Ivy League, the shift is now nearly complete. Six of the eight Ivies—Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, and UPenn—require SAT or ACT scores for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Yale is worth a closer look, because its policy changed for the second time. After two years of a “test-flexible” approach, Yale announced it will return to requiring test scores, starting with students applying this upcoming 2026-2027 cycle. Yale’s test-flexible policy allowed students to substitute AP or IB scores for the SAT or ACT. That option is now gone, and students in the Class of 2031 interested in applying to Yale should prepare to submit only SAT or ACT scores.

That leaves two Ivies still allowing test-optional applications for 2026-2027. Both, however, are on the clock to make changes for the 2027-2028 application cycle.

This 2026-2027 application cycle will be Princeton’s final test-optional year. Columbia also announced its commitment to reinstating standardized testing, with Columbia College and Columbia Engineering requiring SAT or ACT scores from all first-year and transfer applicants in the 2027-2028 cycle.

Beyond the Ivies, the same pattern holds. Many other highly selective institutions such as MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Georgetown, and UT Austin require test scores.

Does “Test-Optional” Really Mean Test-Optional?

Post-pandemic, many students fell into the “optional” trap, believing that “optional” means “not important.” However, data shows that recent applicants have figured out that submitting test scores puts them at an advantage.

According to the Common App’s annual report, for the first time since before the pandemic, students submitting test scores outweigh those who do not, with that figure increasing 10% from the previous year. Even with the Common App’s report indicating that only about 5% of its member institutions require test scores.

The significance of this is straightforward. At test-optional schools, admissions officers still review scores if you submit them, and at the most selective ones, applicants with strong test scores generally hold an advantage over those who do not.

For example, despite Princeton’s flexible testing policy, its most recent 2024-2025 Common Data Set indicates that standardized testing is considered a “very important” factor in admissions decisions, carrying similar weight to a student’s GPA and essays.

It’s clear that colleges quietly encourage submitting test scores even if they offer flexible policies, and students who scored well should include them in their academic transcript.

How do you know if your test score is good enough to submit? Self-selection during the test-optional years indeed pushed published score ranges up at elite schools. When only the strongest performing students submit scores, the average score increases. Knowing this, a useful rule of thumb is to submit scores if they fall within or above a school’s published middle-50% range for enrolled students.

Why are Colleges Going Test-Required: What the Data Shows

Recent admissions changes have felt to many families like a bait-and-switch. Policies that shift from cycle to cycle leave students unsure what actually counts. So, why are colleges reversing course now? The research the schools themselves cite paints an alarming picture about college readiness.

Test scores predict college performance, and test-optional policies are creating a serious readiness gap. When Dartmouth College announced its move from test-optional to test-required, it published a research paper along with it. Dartmouth’s 2024 research paper indicates that SAT and ACT scores are highly predictive of academic performance at Dartmouth and future career success, even more than academic GPA.

National scores have been declining. According to the College Board’s 2025 SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report, the national average composite score has hovered above 1029 in recent years, roughly 30 points lower than pre-pandemic scores. The Class of 2030 was the first cohort since 2020 to show improvement.

Performance on the ACT shows similar numbers. According to the ACT 2025 National Report, the Class of 2030 national average score was 19.4, showing no improvement from the previous year and the lowest national average in recent years.

The numbers indicate that students are struggling with proctored exams. This, in turn, hinders their ability to perform at the college-level.

Faculty are emphasizing the overwhelming number of unprepared college-level students. Perhaps the most striking development came from inside the University of California (UC) system, which is test-blind and does not consider scores.

In 2026, UC faculty members issued an open letter urging the system to reinstate standardized testing for STEM admissions, citing several gaps in incoming students’ math skills.

The letter cites UC San Diego’s report that 70% of first-year students examined are below a middle-school mathematics level. UC Berkeley echoed the same issue after monitoring proficiency levels for three consecutive years and found that over 90% of calculus students from 2021-2023 were underprepared or had severe preparation deficiencies.

Unpreparedness has a way of snowballing into other severe issues for students and institutions. Students who arrive behind are more likely to struggle with retention and graduation, and may experience anxiety and depression as a result. This concern about student performance is driving many of the reversals.

Which Colleges are Still Test-Optional in 2026-2027

It’s not a clean sweep, however. A meaningful number of schools remain test-optional for this cycle. As of June 2026, over 1000 colleges on the Common App are test-optional.

Top Private Colleges Still Test-Optional in 2026

• University of Chicago
• Northwestern University
• Johns Hopkins University
• New York University (NYU)
• Rice University
• University of Notre Dame
• Chapman University
• Duke University
• Tufts University
• Vassar College
• Villanova University
• Wake Forest University

Top Public Colleges Still Test-Optional in 2026

• Clemson University
• Georgia State University
• Kean University
• Michigan State University
• Rutgers University
• Texas A&M University
• UC Berkeley
• UCLA
• UC San Diego
• University of Colorado, Boulder
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Virginia Tech

The one caveat here is that testing policies change frequently, with schools announcing policy changes ahead of each application cycle. Always confirm the current policy on each college’s official admissions page before finalizing a college list.

How to Decide Whether You Need to Submit Scores

Not every student needs to submit test scores. Here are helpful steps when deciding when to submit scores:

1. Build a rough college list; keep track of each college’s standardized testing policy.
2. If any of the schools on the list require a test score, students will need to submit scores; otherwise, their application will be deemed incomplete.
3. If any schools on the list have test-optional policies, review the score ranges of previously enrolled students and evaluate how competitive your score is to those averages.
4. Evaluate your testing timeline and future test dates to ensure you have enough time to take the SAT, diagnose your performance, and retake the test if necessary.

How to Handle the SAT Test and Timing

The SAT test has undergone changes in recent years. The paper and pencil exam is now fully digital with performance-adaptive sections. Studying for this version of the SAT (or the Enhanced ACT) will require a different study approach to practice pacing and adaptive questions.

For students applying in the 2027-2028 cycle, now is the time to build a testing plan. College Board published SAT dates running through the middle of 2027. Keep in mind:

1. Be sure to register early to protect your choice of location and date.
2. Keep score release dates in mind to give yourself extra time to review your performance.
3. Space out retakes to give yourself ample time to study, work with a dedicated tutor, and improve your score.

Despite Ivies returning to test-required, the majority of four-year colleges and universities remain test-optional, and a few dozen won’t look at test scores at all. But a trend is taking shape that future applicants must take note of: highly selective colleges are emphasizing the importance of standardized test scores. For most students, taking the SAT doesn’t hurt. It can give students flexibility and breathing room. Ultimately, students shouldn’t ignore the discourse online surrounding test-optional policies, but whether they need to submit scores will depend entirely on the student and their college list.

Looking to improve your standardized testing plan? Collegewise’s academic tutoring and SAT or ACT prep program offers students 1:1 targeted tutoring to prepare them for the real exam. Guided by 95th percentile tutors, to provide:

1. An initial free diagnostic test to pinpoint a student’s strengths and performance gaps.
2. A customized tutoring program offering a strategic, focused timeline to maximize a student’s test-taking abilities.
3. Mentorship on how to think like test-makers, recognize trick questions, and navigate challenging questions.
4. Strategic advice on school-by-school testing policies and when a student should or should not submit scores to improve their overall candidacy.

Learn more about Collegewise’s SAT and ACT tutoring services today.