The Covid-19 Pandemic saw colleges and universities across the country go “test optional,” meaning that applying seniors did not have to submit their SAT scores in order to apply to their university of choice. Even as the pandemic came to an official end in 2023, many schools kept themselves test optional. However, in recent years schools have started phasing out their test optional policy.
Cornell University will begin to require students to submit scores this upcoming fall 2026 and Princeton will start requiring scores in 2027. Many other Ivy League Universities, including Harvard and Dartmouth, have begun requiring students to submit SAT scores in recent years. Currently, Columbia University is the only Ivy school to remain test-optional.
Yale has a more unique approach to requiring scores. They have a test-flexible requirement meaning applicants choose which scores they want to submit. Applicants choose from ACT, AP, IB, or SAT scores to submit.
Although, all SUNY and CUNY schools are currently test optional and have remained test optional since the pandemic. Many colleges outside the state of New York have begun to require test scores. Many public colleges in the south, mainly Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee, currently require test scores.
The SAT, or the Scholastic Aptitude Test, is a standardized test that serves the purpose of measuring how prepared a student is for college. The test itself consists of two modules, a Reading and Writing Module and a Math Module. The Reading and Writing module gives two types of questions. One type is about a student’s ability to analyze a text while the other type tests a student’s grammar. The Math module consists of mainly algebra and geometry based questions in both multiple choice and open-ended form.
Some feel that the SAT doesn’t accurately measure a student’s readiness for college. Isabela Freedman, a junior, said that the SAT doesn’t “[reflect] what every student’s capable of doing” but that it does set “a standard.”
Additionally, Sarah Yuce, also a junior, said that test-optional is preferred because “it’s not fair to make [an applicant] submit something they won’t be proud of.”
But why are schools requiring scores again? This ties back into the SAT’s main purpose. Colleges use the SAT to help predict how well students will do in a college environment. Another junior, Stella Schweitzer, agreed that SAT scores help colleges “narrow down [the] applicants” as millions of students apply to colleges annually, many apply to competitive colleges that need a standard to put students up against.
The class of 2027 is the next batch of students to be impacted by colleges taking away test-optional. As such it is important to check the requirements to the colleges and universities you apply to.
