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College admissions have felt unsettled since 2020. For several cycles, test-optional policies spread fast, and many students learned to assemble applications where GPA, course rigor, essays, activities, and recommendations carried the weight. Standardized testing moved to the background for a lot of families, sometimes entirely off the table.
A shift is underway again.
For students applying to start college in Fall 2026, SAT and ACT requirements are no longer a niche detail. A growing group of selective universities and several large public systems now want scores back in the file.
Some institutions are returning to full requirements. Others are building flexible models that accept AP or IB results alongside SAT or ACT. A few major public systems never fully stepped away from testing in the first place.
Planning without acknowledging that change can lead to ugly surprises late in junior year or early senior year. A clear-eyed look at where policies stand helps avoid panic testing, rushed applications, and list building driven by rumor instead of fact.
Why SAT And ACT Requirements Are Coming Back
Admissions offices are not repeating identical talking points, yet several consistent themes show up across official statements and policy updates.
Scores Provide A Consistent Academic Signal
At schools with national and global applicant pools, transcripts arrive from thousands of high schools using different grading scales, course naming systems, and levels of rigor. Standardized scores offer one shared academic reference point.
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Harvard College describes test scores as strongly predictive information that sits inside a broader, whole-person review. Admissions officers emphasize context, including school resources and family background, while still valuing a common academic metric.
Stanford University lists SAT or ACT directly in the required application checklist for first-year and transfer applicants, treating testing as a core file component rather than optional background material.
Test Optional Did Not Automatically Solve Equity Questions
Several universities argue that removing requirements did not always deliver the access outcomes many hoped for.
The internal logic often looks like the following:
- Students with strong scores usually submitted results
- Students with weaker scores often held back
- Admissions teams lost a tool that sometimes highlighted academic strength among applicants from under-resourced schools
Brown University ties its return to required testing to a multi-year internal review. The admissions office frames scores, read in context, as a way to support academic excellence while still broadening access.
Dartmouth College echoes similar reasoning in public FAQs, stressing contextual evaluation while acknowledging uneven access to preparation resources.
Internal Performance Data Played A Role
Several institutions point to their own enrollment and performance data rather than national trends alone.
Cornell University linked its decision to a multiyear study by a task force focused on standardized testing in admissions. The outcome led to reinstating required scores for students applying for Fall 2026 enrollment.
Princeton University, while not part of the Fall 2026 requirement group, has publicly noted stronger academic performance among students who submitted scores during test-optional years. That signal matters when peer institutions review policy outcomes.
What Makes Fall 2026 Feel Different
Policy shifts at selective institutions tend to cluster. Once a few schools move, peer universities revisit internal data, review yield and performance, and often follow with similar adjustments.
Yale University illustrates a newer approach. Standardized results are required again, yet applicants can satisfy the requirement using SAT, ACT, AP exams, or IB exams. Flexibility remains, though expectations are clear.
That pattern shows where the admissions policy is heading at the top end. Requirements are returning, but with guardrails that attempt to account for varied academic pathways.
Fall 2026 Schools Requiring SAT Or ACT Or A Required Alternative
Policies below reflect official admissions pages and published announcements tied to Fall 2026 enrollment or the 2025 to 2026 application cycle. Changes can still happen, yet the requirements listed here are active rather than speculative.
Notable SAT or ACT-Required Schools For Fall 2026 Entry
Public University Systems Are Driving Scale
Private universities draw attention, yet public systems shape the applicant experience for far more students.
University System Of Georgia
The University System of Georgia announced that SAT or ACT will be required for admission starting Fall 2026 at specific institutions. That shift affects a wide range of applicants across flagship and regional campuses.
Florida Public Universities
Florida’s public universities operate under board regulations that require testing. Several campuses clearly state that score submission is not an optional policy language, but a system-level rules.
- Florida Atlantic University outlines test score requirements tied to statewide governance.
- University of Florida lists SAT, ACT, and the Classic Learning Test as acceptable options, while also noting superscoring practices.
- Florida State University describes the required score submission for many first-year applicants on its admissions pages.
Required Testing Does Not Mean A Single Path
Students often assume every requirement functions the same way. Admissions offices are building several distinct models.
Model One: Traditional SAT Or ACT Required
Institutions following a straightforward model require one of the two main exams.
- Stanford University requires ACT or SAT for first-year and transfer applicants
- Cornell University follows a similar structure for Fall 2026 and beyond
Model Two: Required With Hardship Waivers
A small group allows limited exceptions tied to access barriers.
University of Pennsylvania requires SAT or ACT for the 2025 to 2026 cycle but permits waivers for students facing hardship accessing testing. Penn notes that applicants who have taken an exam are expected to submit scores.
Model Three: Test Flexible With Multiple Score Types
Some schools require standardized results while offering multiple acceptable formats.
Yale accepts SAT, ACT, AP, or IB results. For applicants with strong AP or IB records, that flexibility can matter a lot.
Most Colleges Remain Test Optional
Despite visible movement at selective schools, the majority of four-year colleges still do not require SAT or ACT for Fall 2026.
FairTest reported in September 2025 that more than 90% of ranked U.S. four-year colleges and universities will not require ACT or SAT scores for Fall 2026 admissions.
The landscape looks uneven rather than universal:
- Highly selective institutions are re-embracing testing
- Several large public systems are tightening requirements
- Many regional and less selective colleges remain test-optional
List planning feels harder under mixed policies, yet clarity comes from reading each admissions page carefully.
Why The Timing Feels Stressful For Fall 2026 Applicants
Fall 2026 enrollment aligns with juniors who are planning testing schedules right now.
Lead time matters for several reasons:
- SAT test centers fill up quickly in some regions
- Preparation requires realistic scheduling
- Schools publish firm last accepted test dates
Penn publishes specific last accepted test dates for Early Decision and Regular Decision during the 2025 to 2026 cycle. Missing a window can eliminate a planned application route.
What Is Happening With The Exams
Testing policy changes are happening alongside changes to the exams themselves.
Digital SAT Participation Is Rising
The SAT is now fully digital, shorter, and adaptive, while still taken at monitored test sites. Coverage by AP News highlighted growing participation after the transition.
The College Board reported that SAT participation for the Class of 2025 surpassed 2 million test takers, marking the first time since 2020 that participation reached that level.
The takeaway for Fall 2026 applicants is straightforward. Schools and students are re-engaging with the SAT rather than abandoning it.
ACT Is Changing Too
ACT has introduced changes that affect how schools read results.
Stanford notes that starting with the 2025 to 2026 application cycle, both original and redesigned ACT formats are accepted, with the science section becoming optional.
Brown references the ACT science section becoming optional beginning Spring 2025, tied to broader exam updates.
Choosing between the SAT and ACT should begin with timed practice exams for both, followed by committing to the format where baseline performance looks stronger.
Application Volume Adds Pressure
Testing policy shifts are happening alongside sustained application growth.
Common App reports continued increases in application volume, including faster growth among first-generation applicants and students using fee waivers during the 2024 to 2025 cycle.
Education Week summarized the 2024 to 2025 season as involving close to 1.5 million distinct first-year applicants applying through the Common App to more than 1,000 member institutions.
Higher volume means competition remains intense even as testing rules evolve.
Practical Planning Without Panic
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A clear plan reduces stress far more effectively than reacting to policy headlines.
Step One: Sort Colleges By Testing Policy
Create three groups:
- Test required
- Test flexible or waiver-based
- Test optional or test free
If a large share of realistic options fall into the first group, testing becomes a core part of the strategy.
Step Two: Lock A Realistic Timeline
A safe schedule for Fall 2026 applicants often looks like the following:
- Spring of junior year: diagnostic testing and exam choice
- Summer: preparation and first official attempt
- Early fall of senior year: one retake if needed, then stop
The published last accepted test dates explain why spacing matters.
Step Three: Learn Superscoring Rules
Many institutions superscore, though reporting rules vary.
Brown explicitly supports superscoring for SAT and ACT.
Florida campuses such as the University of Florida reference superscoring practices as well.
Step Four: Use AP Or IB Flexibility Strategically
Where available, strong AP or IB results can satisfy requirements without making SAT or ACT the only path.
Yale’s model offers that option for applicants with rigorous coursework and exam performance.
Step Five: Treat Waivers Seriously
Hardship waivers exist for a reason, yet eligibility is narrow.
Penn’s waiver language is specific and reviewed during application evaluation. Planning an entire strategy around a waiver without reading official guidance can backfire.
A Quick Checklist For Fall 2026 Applicants
- Identify which colleges on the list require testing
- Schedule exams by the summer before senior year
- Reserve one early fall retake window
- Verify policy details directly on admissions websites
- Recheck requirements before submitting applications
Admissions policies are evolving quickly. Verification beats assumptions every time.
Final Thoughts
SAT and ACT requirements are no longer fading into the background for Fall 2026 applicants. A growing group of selective universities and public systems has decided that standardized scores belong back in the file, sometimes with flexible alternatives, sometimes without.
Preparation does not require panic. It requires clarity, early planning, and careful reading of each admissions page.
Students who treat testing as one manageable part of a larger application story are far better positioned than those who discover requirements late and scramble to catch up.
The list keeps growing. Staying ahead of it remains entirely possible.
