Updated July 28, 2022
We’ve learned a lot about test-optional and test-blind admissions in the last two years. The test-optional landscape is constantly shifting, with some colleges returning to requiring tests and others extending their test-optional policies for another year or longer.
Of the top 150 colleges and universities in the US, let’s break down who is requiring tests for 2022-2023 applicants and who isn’t:
Tests Required
SAT or ACT scores are required to apply to the following colleges:
Florida State University*
Georgetown University
If you are unable to access a test center, you can still apply to Georgetown; however, after you apply, you will be required to fill out a form explaining why you were unable to access a test center.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia College and State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
University of Florida*
University of Georgia
*Note: all 11 of Florida’s public universities are currently requiring test scores.
Test-Flexible
Test-flexible means that these schools would still prefer SAT or ACT test scores, but they are open to reviewing applications without them if a student is unable to test. Tests are strongly encouraged at the following colleges:
Purdue University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Students applying test-optional are encouraged to submit other forms of testing such as AP or IB exam scores.
Test-Optional for at least 2022-23
Test-optional means that the current policies at these schools welcome applications with or without test scores. Keep in mind, however, that some colleges have shown significantly higher acceptance rates for students who submit test scores over students who don’t. These colleges include:
Amherst College
Barnard College
Baylor University
Belmont University
Boston College
Boston University
Brown University
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Claremont McKenna College
Clemson University
Colgate University
Columbia University
College of William and Mary
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Dickinson College
Drexel University
Duke University
Elon University
Emory University
Fordham University
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Indiana University Bloomington
Iowa State University
Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Loyola Marymount University
Middlebury College
New York University
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College and Conservatory
Occidental College
Ohio State University
Pepperdine University
Pennsylvania State University
Pomona College
Princeton University
Quinnipiac University
Except for certain dual degree programs and the School of Nursing
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rice University
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Santa Clara University
Skidmore College
Southern Methodist University
Stanford University
Stevens Institute of Technology
SUNY - All Campuses
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
Tufts University
Tulane University
University of Connecticut
University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland - College Park
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
University of Miami
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of South Carolina
University of Southern California
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Vanderbilt University
Villanova University
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Yale University
Permanently Test-Optional
These schools have permanent test-optional policies, in many cases adopted well before the COVID-19 pandemic. Bowdoin College, for example, has been test-optional for over 50 years. These colleges tend to most receptive of test-optional applicants and include:
American University
Bard College
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Bryn Mawr College
Chapman University
Colby College
College of the Holy Cross
Colorado College
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University
Connecticut College
Davidson College
DePaul University
Franklin & Marshall College
George Washington University
Hofstra University
Loyola University Chicago
Macalester College
Michigan State University
Mount Holyoke College
Oregon State University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rutgers University - Newark
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps College
Smith College
Does not include international applicants.
Temple University
The New School
Trinity College
Union College
University of Arizona
University of Chicago
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Oregon
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of San Francisco
University of Washington
“High test scores (1400 SAT/31 ACT or above) may be considered for a handful of students who may not otherwise be admitted.”
Vassar College
Wake Forest University
Washington State University
Wesleyan University
Whitman College
Williams College
Yeshiva University
Test-Blind
Test-Blind means these schools will not use SAT or ACT scores in any of their admissions decisions, even if you send your scores. These colleges include:
California Institute of Technology
California State University - All Campuses
You can still submit SAT or ACT scores for course placement purposes
Loyola University New Orleans
Pitzer College
University of California - All Campuses
University of San Diego
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Not Yet Announced
These schools were test-optional for the 2021-2022 application cycle, but have not yet announced whether they will continue this policy for the 2022-2023 application cycle. We will update this list as schools release updated information on their testing policies.
Howard University