Which Colleges are Test-Optional, Test-Flexible, and Test-Required for 2022-2023 Applicants?

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