Colleges Reinstate SAT and ACT Requirements

Several leading colleges and universities are bringing back SAT or ACT score requirements for admissions. This shift revives a long-standing debate about the fairness and value of standardized testing. Institutions like Dartmouth College, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are leading this trend. They argue that test scores help identify talented students from underfunded high schools and provide a better measure of readiness than grade point averages alone. Columbia University will be the last Ivy League school to reinstate testing, doing so for the 2027-28 admissions cycle.

These schools initially dropped test requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Testing centers were closing, and many students lacked access to exams or preparation. At that time, colleges adopted either 'test optional' or 'test blind' policies. According to the source report from EdSurge, more than 1,300 faculty at the University of California have now signed letters asking for test requirements to be reinstated in that system. The College Board is tracking the full list of schools returning to mandatory testing.

Faculty Concerns Over Preparedness

College faculty have expressed worries about student preparedness since test requirements were dropped. Independent educational consultant Laurie Kopp Weingarten says faculty report teaching basics to some students they believe should never have been admitted. Kevin Krebs, founder of HelloCollege, echoes this concern. He notes that many students enroll without the foundational skills needed for college-level work. This situation is difficult for students and faculty. It can also lead to lower student retention rates.

Removing test scores changed the admissions landscape. John Morganelli Jr., a former Cornell admissions director, says going test optional made applicant pools bigger and admission rates lower. That looked good publicly. However, it placed more weight on other application parts like essays and recommendations. These elements are highly sensitive to a student's access to resources. Morganelli argues this trade was not as equitable as advertised.

The Scholarship and Application Impact

Reinstating test requirements could help students secure scholarships. This is a hope for Annie Bao, a high school senior in Alabama. Alabama provides free ACT tests to college-bound students. Bao says tests do not fully represent readiness but provide useful data on reasoning and problem-solving under time constraints.

Svetlana Kekutiia of Crimson Global Academy agrees. She says selective universities need credible academic data to make informed decisions. A standardized test offers evidence of readiness when viewed alongside school context and grades.

Marsha Familaro Enright of Reliance College frames the debate differently. She says tests predict first-year grades reasonably well. The real question is what they predict. They do not measure independent thought or the ability to construct an argument. Enright believes schools reinstating tests are optimizing for a publicly defensible metric.

Operational Realities and Student Stress

Supporters say reinstatement offers immediate benefits. Krebs notes tests provide a common benchmark across high schools. They can identify high achievers whose transcripts alone may not tell their full story. Strong scores also remain key for many merit scholarships.

Krebs acknowledges testing is not a level playing field. Students from under-resourced schools often have less preparation access. Scores must be considered with coursework and personal context. He also warns that 'test optional' does not mean 'test irrelevant.' Many selective colleges that are test optional still see most admitted students submit scores.

Reinstating requirements may reduce student stress. Weingarten explains that in a test-optional scenario, consultants spent time with each applicant deciding whether to submit scores. Students often received vague guidance from admissions officers. A clear test-required policy removes that uncertainty and any attempt to game the system. As schools bring back the SAT and ACT, they emphasize treating scores as one part of a holistic review.