In recent years, an increasing number of colleges and universities have become test optional, meaning that they do not require students to submit standardized test scores as part of their application.
This shift towards test optional policies has been driven by concerns about the equity and validity of standardized tests, particularly for underrepresented and low-income students who may not have access to test preparation resources or the ability to take the tests multiple times. By going test optional, colleges aim to increase the diversity of their applicant pools and to evaluate students based on a broader range of factors such as their academic record, extracurricular activities, and personal experiences.
It’s important to note that test optional is different from test-blind. Test-blind policies mean that a college will not consider standardized test scores even if they are submitted, whereas test optional means that students have the choice whether or not to submit their scores. So while a test optional policy gives students the flexibility to decide whether or not to include their test scores, a test-blind policy eliminates standardized tests as a factor in the admissions process altogether.
Some selective institutions still require test scores, and for students who are applying to these schools, having strong test scores can still be an important factor in the admissions process. In addition, some merit-based scholarships and honors programs may also require test scores as part of their application process.
Furthermore, it’s worth keeping in mind that even if a college is test optional, submitting strong test scores can still give a student an advantage in the admissions process. For instance, if a student’s test scores are significantly higher than the college’s average, it can demonstrate their academic potential and strengthen their application.
Ivy League Test Policies for 2023-2024
- Brown University: Test-Optional for 2023
- Columbia University: Test-Optional for 2023 and 2024
- Cornell University: Test-Optional for 2023 and 2024
- Dartmouth College: Test-Optional for 2023
- Harvard University: Test-Optional for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026
- University of Pennsylvania (UPenn): Test-Optional for 2023
- Princeton University: Test-Optional for 2023
- Yale University: Test-Optional for 2023
List of Colleges that are Permanently Test-Optional
- Agnes Scott College
- Albertus Magnus College
- Allegheny College
- American University
- Andrews University
- Arcadia University
- Arizona State University-Tempe
- Assumption College
- Augustana College
- Austin College
- Azusa Pacific University
- Ball State University
- Bard College
- Bates College
- Bellarmine University
- Belmont University
- Beloit College
- Bennington College
- Berklee College of Music
- Berry College
- Birmingham-Southern College
- Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
- Bowdoin College
- Bradley University
- Brandeis University
- Bridgewater State University
- Bryant University
- Bryn Mawr College
- Butler University
- California College of the Arts
- California Institute of the Arts
- California Lutheran University
- California State University system
- Cazenovia College
- Champlain College
- Chapman University
- Chatham University
- Clark University
- Colby College
- Colby-Sawyer College
- College of Saint Rose
- College of St. Benedict
- College of the Atlantic
- College of the Holy Cross
- College of Wooster
- Colorado College
- Colorado School of Mines
- Colorado State University
- Columbia College Chicago
- Concordia College-Moorhead
- Concordia College-New York
- Connecticut College
- Cornell College
- Creighton University
- Curry College
- Davidson College
- Dean College
- Delaware Valley University
- Denison University
- DePaul University
- DePauw University
- Dickinson College
- Drake University
- Drew University
- Drexel University
- Drury University
- Duquesne University
- Earlham College
- Eastern Connecticut State University
- Eastern University
- Elms College
- Elon University
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Emerson College
- Emmanuel College
- Endicott College
- Fairfield University
- Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Farmingdale State College-SUNY
- Fashion Institute of Technology
- Fisher College
- Flagler College
- Fort Lewis College
- Framingham State University
- Franklin and Marshall College
- Furman University
- Gordon College
- Goucher College
- Grinnell College
- Grove City College
- Guilford College
- Gustavus Adolphus College
- Hampshire College
- Hanover College
- Hartwick College
- Hendrix College
- High Point University
- Hilbert College
- Hillsdale College
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges
- Hofstra University
- Hollins University
- Hood College
- Houghton College
- Immaculata University
- Indiana State University
- Indiana Tech
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Indiana University-Bloomington
- Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis
- Iona College
- Iowa State University of Science and Technology
- Ithaca College
- James Madison University
- Johnson & Wales University
- Juniata College
- Kalamazoo College
- Keene State College
- Kent State University
- Keystone College
- King’s College
- Knox College
- La Roche University
- La Salle University
- Lake Forest College
- Lamar University
- Lander University
- Lasell College
- Lawrence University
- Le Moyne College
- Lesley University
- Lewis and Clark College
- Linfield College
- Loras College
- Loyola University Chicago
- Loyola University Maryland
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Lynn University
- Macalester College
- Manhattanville College
- Marist College
- Marlboro College
- Marquette University
- Maryland Institute College of Art
- Maryville University of St. Louis
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
- McDaniel College
- MCPHS University
- Mercyhurst University
- Meredith College
- Merrimack College
- Messiah College
- Michigan State University
- Mills College
- Millsaps College
- Minnesota State University-Moorhead
- Mitchell College
- Monroe College
- Montana State University
- Montclair State University
- Moravian College
- Mount Aloysius College
- Mount Holyoke College
- Mount St. Mary’s University
- Muhlenberg College
- Nazareth College
- New England College
- New England Institute of Technology
- New York Institute of Technology
- Niagara University
- North Dakota State University
- Northern Illinois University
- Northern Michigan University
- Norwich University
- Notre Dame of Maryland University
- Ohio University
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Oklahoma State University
- Old Dominion University
- Oregon State University
- Otis College of Art and Design
- Pace University
- Pacific University
- Paul Smith’s College
- Pennsylvania College of Technology
- Pitzer College
- Post University
- Presbyterian College
- Providence College
- Purchase College-SUNY
- Queen’s University (Canada)
- Queens University of Charlotte
- Ramapo College of New Jersey
- Reed College
- Regis University
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Rider University
- Ripon College
- Roanoke College
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Roger Williams University
- Rollins College
- Rowan University
- Russell Sage College
- Rutgers University-Newark
- Sacred Heart University
- Saint Anselm College
- Saint Joseph’s University
- Saint Louis University
- Saint Mary’s College
- Saint Michael’s College
- Saint Vincent College
- Salem College
- Salisbury University
- Salve Regina University
- Sarah Lawrence College
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- School of Visual Arts
- Scripps College
- Seattle University
- Shenandoah University
- Siena College
- Skidmore College
- Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
- Smith College
- South Carolina State University
- Southern Connecticut State University
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Southwestern University
- Springfield College
- St. Bonaventure University
- St. Edward’s University
- St. Francis College
- St. John Fisher College
- St. John’s College
- St. John’s University (MN)
- St. John’s University (NY)
- St. Joseph’s College (ME)
- St. Lawrence University
- St. Mary’s College of California
- St. Mary’s College of Maryland
- St. Olaf College
- Stetson University
- Stockton University
- Stonehill College
- Suffolk University
- SUNY Brockport
- SUNY College of Technology-Delhi
- SUNY College-Potsdam
- SUNY-Geneseo
- Susquehanna University
- Temple University
- The Catholic University of America
- The New School
- The University of the South
- Thomas College
- Thomas Jefferson University
- Transylvania University
- Trinity College
- Union College (KY)
- Union College (NY)
- United States Coast Guard Academy
- Unity College
- University of Arizona
- University of Chicago
- University of Colorado-Boulder
- University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
- University of Colorado-Denver
- University of Dayton
- University of Delaware
- University of Denver
- University of Dubuque
- University of Hartford
- University of Illinois-Chicago
- University of Iowa
- University of Kansas
- University of La Verne
- University of Maine-Augusta
- University of Maine-Farmington
- University of Maine-Fort Kent
- University of Maine-Presque Isle
- University of Mary Washington
- University of Massachusetts-Boston
- University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
- University of Massachusetts-Lowell
- University of Minnesota-Duluth
- University of Montana
- University of New England
- University of New Hampshire
- University of New Haven
- University of New Mexico
- University of Oregon
- University of Puget Sound
- University of Redlands
- University of Rochester
- University of San Francisco
- University of St. Joseph
- University of St. Thomas
- University of the Pacific
- University of Washington
- University of Waterloo
- Ursinus College
- Vermont Technical College
- Wagner College
- Wake Forest University
- Warren Wilson College
- Washington and Jefferson College
- Washington College
- Washington State University
- Wells College
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
- Wesleyan University
- Western Michigan University
- Western New England University
- Westfield State University
- Westminster College (PA)
- Westminster College (UT)
- Wheaton College (MA)
- Whitman College
- Whittier College
- Willamette University
- William and Mary
- Wofford College
- Worcester State University
- Xavier University
- Yeshiva University
List of Colleges that are Test-Optional for 2023
- Adelphi University
- Alfred University (2023, 2024)
- Amherst College (2023, 2024)
- Appalachian State University (2023, 2024)
- Babson College (2023, 2024)
- Barnard College
- Baylor University (2022, 2023)
- Bentley University
- Berea College
- Binghamton University-SUNY
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Brigham Young University-Provo
- Brown University
- Bucknell University (2023, 2024)
- California Institute of Technology
- Carleton College
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Case Western Reserve University (2023, 2024)
- Central Michigan University
- Centre College
- Claremont McKenna College (2023, 2024)
- Clemson University
- Colgate University
- College of Charleston
- College of New Jersey
- Columbia University (2023, 2024)
- Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- Cornell University (2023, 2024)
- Dallas Baptist University
- Dartmouth College
- Duke University
- Eckerd College
- Emory University
- Fordham University
- Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
- Gannon University
- Hamilton College
- Harvard University (2023-2026)
- Harvey Mudd College
- Haverford College
- Illinois State University
- Johns Hopkins University (2023-2026)
- Kenyon College
- Lafayette College
- Lawrence Technological University
- Lehigh University
- Loyola Marymount University
- Marywood University
- Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- McGill University
- Mercer University
- Miami University-Oxford
- Middlebury College
- Millersville University of Pennsylvania (2023, 2024)
- Misericordia University (2023, 2024)
- Monmouth University
- North Carolina State University-Raleigh (2023, 2024)
- Northeastern University
- Northwestern University
- Oberlin College
- Occidental College
- Ohio State University-Columbus
- Pennsylvania State University
- Pepperdine University
- Pomona College (2023, 2024)
- Princeton University
- Purdue University-West Lafayette
- Randolph-Macon College (2023, 2024)
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rhodes College
- Rice University
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University-Camden (2023, 2024)
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick (2023, 2024)
- Samford University
- Santa Clara University
- Savannah College of Art and Design
- Seton Hall University (2023-2026)
- Southern Methodist University
- St. Norbert College
- Stanford University
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- Stony Brook University-SUNY
- SUNY Cobleskill
- SUNY College-Cortland
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
- SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
- SUNY College of Technology at Canton
- SUNY College-Oneonta
- SUNY-Fredonia
- SUNY Maritime College
- SUNY-Morrisville
- SUNY-New Paltz
- SUNY-Oswego
- SUNY-Plattsburgh
- SUNY Polytechnic Institute-Utica-Albany
- Swarthmore College (2023-2025)
- Syracuse University
- Texas A&M University-College Station
- Texas Christian University
- Texas Tech University (2023-2025)
- Trinity University
- Tufts University
- Tulane University
- Union University (2023, 2024)
- University at Albany-SUNY
- University at Buffalo-SUNY
- University of Alabama
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (2023, 2024)
- University of Alaska-Fairbanks (2023, 2024)
- University of California system (2023, 2024)
- University of Cincinnati (2023, 2024)
- University of Connecticut
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
- University of Kentucky (2023, 2024)
- University of Maryland-College Park
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- University of Miami
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (2023, 2024)
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- University of Missouri
- University of North Carolina system (2023, 2024)
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Portland
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Richmond
- University of San Diego
- University of South Carolina
- University of Southern California
- University of Texas System
- University of Toronto
- University of Tulsa
- University of Utah
- University of Vermont
- University of Virginia
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (2023, 2024)
- Valparaiso University
- Vanderbilt University (2023, 2024)
- Vassar College
- Villanova University
- Virginia Military Institute
- Virginia Tech
- Washington and Lee University
- Washington University in St. Louis (2023, 2024)
- Wellesley College (2023, 2024)
- West Virginia University (2023, 2024)
- Wheaton College
- Williams College
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2023-2028)
- Yale University 2023