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Colleges Requiring All SAT Scores Sent: Complete List

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Are you putting together your college application list? One factor you might not have considered is which schools require you to send your entire SAT testing record. Unfortunately, you can't always hide your rotten SAT scores! So if you have some less-than-stellar scores, you might avoid (or at least think carefully) before applying to those schools.

We have a complete list of which schools require your complete SAT testing record. Read on for this list as well as exclusive advice for applying to these schools.

 

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UPDATE:  Many Colleges Remain Test-Optional for 2023-24

As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, many schools broke with their normal testing policies and went test optional. That means schools with temporary test-optional policies will not require you to send your SAT scores as part of your admissions application, and not submitting SAT scores will not adversely impact your chances of getting in. Many schools are still test optional in the 2023-2024 school year, so be sure to check college websites for their admission requirements.

Check out this article for more a list of every school that's temporarily test optional during the COVID-19 epidemic.

 

Sending SAT Scores to Schools: All Scores vs. Score Choice

Traditionally, nearly all colleges have required you to send at least one SAT or ACT score as part of your application for admission. But colleges differ on how they handle students with multiple sets of scores—for example, if you had two sets of SAT scores.

Some colleges require you to send your entire SAT or ACT testing record, even if that means sending not-so-great scores. (This does not apply to any tests taken in middle school (7th/8th grade) or earlier as part of a talent-search program.)

Other colleges do not require you to send your full testing record (though they often recommend it anyway). At these schools, you can take advantage of SAT's Score Choice policy, which allows you to send only your best scores.

So what happens if you want to apply to a college that requires all SAT scores? What could be the benefits and drawbacks of revealing your entire testing record?

 

What Difference Could Sending All SAT Scores Make?

You might be wondering why it matters if colleges see all of your SAT scores. Couldn't it help your chances of admission if colleges see your complete testing record, including your highest section scores?

Indeed, colleges consider the entire testing history when it's given, generally paying most attention to your highest scores achieved. However, when colleges specifically require you to send all of your scores, this means they're considering your lower scores as well. They aren't just looking for low scores and throwing your application out, but the higher all of your scores are, the better.

Back when I was contacting colleges to conduct research for our new SAT investigation, I asked dozens of admissions officers if members of the class of 2018 could take the SAT and submit it for admission. This would mean taking the SAT early, during or before sophomore year.

Many of the admissions officers cautioned against taking the SAT that young. "We're still going to see those scores," an admissions officer from Cornell told me, implying that potentially lower scores could, in fact, hurt your application.

While I want to take colleges at their word that even if they require all scores they only look at the highest ones, they wouldn't require all scores to be sent unless they wanted to consider them all—including the lower ones.

 

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How Does Sending All SAT Scores Affect Your Test-Taking Strategy?

If you're applying to schools that require all SAT scores, you need to be very careful each time you take the SAT because you will have to send any scores you get, even if they're low.

If you're reading this and aren't sure which schools you're applying to yet, we recommend taking a careful look at the schools that require you to send all scores. If any of the schools might be a top choice for you, adjust your test-taking policy accordingly.

In general, we only recommend taking (or retaking) the SAT after you've studied and are certain you'll get a decent score. But you'll have to be extra careful if you're applying to an "all scores" school.

Don't take the SAT for the first time as practice, or to get used to the test. Colleges will see your "practice score." (Not to mention it's a waste of money to take the test for this reason only!)

We recommend taking the PSAT your sophomore and/or junior year to get the experience of taking the SAT and to receive a score without compromising your actual SAT score. Also, make taking strictly timed, full-length SAT practice tests part of your study regimen so that when you sit down to take the SAT for real, it won't feel as though it's your first time taking it.

If you have to retake the SAT, be sure to continue to study for both sections (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math), even if you're only trying to bring up one section's score. You wouldn't want the score from your other section to drop dramatically on a retake!

For more tips on how to study effectively, read our guides on how long you should study for the SAT and how to set an SAT target score.

By keeping this advice in mind and only taking the SAT after careful studying, you should be able to apply to "all scores" schools without worrying about lower scores weakening your application.

 

Notable Colleges That Require You to Send All SAT Scores

Before we get to the complete list of colleges that require all SAT scores, we'll highlight some top schools you might be interested in. We include quotes from their admissions websites to give you an idea as to how serious they are about their scoring policies. Bold emphasis is mine.

 

Georgetown University

"Georgetown University does not participate in the Score Choice option available through the College Board. Georgetown requires that you submit scores from all test sittings of the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Tests."

Georgetown is unique among top universities in the US in that it requires you to send every single SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject test scores in with your application. Most schools that require all scores sent only want to see all ACT or all SAT scores.

 

University of Pennsylvania

Penn used to require all scores but has since altered its policy somewhat (note that they're also currently test optional for 2023-2024:

"Although we permit Score Choice, we encourage students to submit their entire testing history for both ACT and SAT exams."

 

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Complete List of Colleges That Require All SAT Scores

Below is the complete list of four-year colleges and universities that require you to send all SAT scores, grouped by state. Look through this list carefully. If any of the schools here are your top choices, that means you need to be especially careful about SAT retakes.

For a complete list of all colleges (including community colleges) that require all SAT scores, check out the official College Board PDF.

If your school has started requiring all SAT scores are sent and they aren't listed, be sure to tell us in the comments!

School Name City State
University of North Alabama Florence AL
Southern Arkansas University Magnolia AR
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock AR
Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego CA
Soka University of America Aliso Viejo CA
University of Colorado Denver Denver CO
Holy Apostles College and Seminary Cromwell CT
Georgetown University Washington DC
Howard University Washington DC
Delaware State University Dover DE
Barry University Miami Shores FL
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee FL
Southeastern University Lakeland FL
Fort Valley State University Fort Valley GA
Dordt College Sioux Center IA
MacMurray College Jacksonville IL
Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais IL
Saint Xavier University Chicago IL
Trinity Christian College Palos Heights IL
Grace College Winona Lake IN
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion IN
Oakland City University Oakland City IN
University of Saint Francis Fort Wayne IN
Kansas Wesleyan University Salina KS
University of Saint Mary Leavenworth KS
Kentucky Christian University Grayson KY
Grambling State University Grambling LA
Louisiana State University of Alexandria Alexandria LA
Louisiana State University Shreveport Shreveport LA
Nicholls State University Thibodaux LA
Andrews University Berrien Springs MI
Cornerstone University Grand Rapids MI
Sacred Heart Major Seminary Detroit MI
Oak Hills Christian College Bemidji MN
Central Methodist University Fayette MO
Saint Louis University St. Louis MO
Blue Mountain College Blue Mountain MS
William Carey University Hattiesburg MS
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte NC
University of Jamestown Jamestown ND
Mayville State University Mayville ND
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Galloway NJ
Barnard College New York NY
City College of New York New York NY
Colgate University Hamilton NY
Cooper Union New York NY
Cornell University Ithaca NY
Hunter College New York NY
Long Island University Brooklyn New York NY
New York School of Interior Design New York NY
Queens College (City University of New York) Flushing NY
United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point NY
Art Academy of Cincinnati Cincinnati OH
Cameron University Lawton OK
East Central University Ada OK
Rogers State University Claremore OK
Southwestern Oklahoma State University Weatherford OK
Western Oregon University Monmouth OR
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana PA
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg PA
University of Puerto Rico at Cayey Cayey PR
University of Puerto Rico at Humacao Humacao PR
University of Puerto Rico at Ponce Ponce PR
Columbia International University Columbia SC
The Citadel Charleston SC
Tennessee Technological University Cookeville TN
Dallas Christian College Dallas TX
Howard Payne University Brownwood TX
LeTourneau University Longview TX
Midwestern State University Wichita Falls TX
Rice University Houston TX
St. Edward's University Austin TX
Tarleton State University Stephenville TX
Texas A&M University College Station TX
Texas A&M University—Kingsville Kingsville TX
Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth TX
University of Texas at Brownsville Brownsville TX
Neumont University Salt Lake City UT
Utah State University Logan UT
Castleton State College Castleton VT
Washington State University Pullman WA
Alderson-Broaddus College Philippi WV
Fairmont State University Fairmont WV
West Virginia University Institute of Technology Montgomery WV

 

What's Next?

Not sure if you need to retake the SAT or ACT? Find out what a good, bad, or excellent SAT/ACT score is based on the schools you are applying to. If your score falls short, consider a retake.

Need tips for studying? Get a rundown of the overall best strategies to use for the SAT.

For SAT/ACT resources, check out the best SAT/ACT study websites you should be using.

 

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible.

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Halle Edwards
About the Author

Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process.



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