Every Ivy Requires Test Scores by 2028

The test-optional era at the Ivy League is over.

Columbia University — which had maintained a permanent test-optional policy well after every other Ivy had reversed course — announced on June 13, 2026, that it will require first-year and transfer applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores.¹ The requirement takes effect for students applying in fall 2027.

That announcement closes the last test-optional door among America's eight most selective universities.

What Columbia Actually Said

Columbia's decision followed a multi-year review conducted by its faculty. In the official announcement, the university said its faculty concluded that "test scores, among other factors, were a useful indicator of potential student success."¹

The university will offer a waiver process for students who cannot submit scores due to "financial or personal hardship, lack of access to testing locations, or natural disaster or community disruption."² That carveout matters: it's not a blanket elimination of every student's ability to apply without scores, but it shifts test submission from the default to an exception requiring justification.

Princeton had already announced it would return to required testing for the 2027-28 admissions cycle, leaving Columbia as the final holdout. Columbia's announcement removes it from that position.

Which Students This Affects — And Which It Doesn't

Most coverage of this story skipped the timing detail. Columbia's new policy applies to students applying in fall 2027 — not this coming fall.

Who you are	When you apply	Columbia policy
Current rising senior (class of 2027)	Fall 2026	Still test-optional
Current rising junior (class of 2028)	Fall 2027	Test required
Current sophomore and younger	Fall 2028 or later	Test required

Rising seniors applying to Columbia this fall are still covered by the existing test-optional policy. If you don't have a score you want to submit, you're still in a fair fight. Rising juniors — students finishing 11th grade right now — will be the first class required to submit scores.

If you're a rising junior and Columbia is anywhere on your list, you need to take the SAT or ACT before your application season begins in fall 2027. That means test prep and registration start this summer or fall, not next year.

The Full Ivy League Picture

Our earlier post covered the six Ivy League schools that reinstated test requirements. Two more changes have landed since then. Yale ended its test-flexible policy on May 27, moving to a straight SAT or ACT requirement. Now Columbia is doing the same. With Princeton also returning to required testing for 2027-28, the picture heading into this fall looks like this:

For rising seniors — 2026-27 cycle (fall 2026 applications):

School	Policy
Harvard	Required
Dartmouth	Required
Brown	Required
Cornell	Required
Penn	Required
Yale	Required (SAT or ACT only, as of May 27)
Princeton	Test-optional (final year)
Columbia	Test-optional (final year)

For rising juniors — 2027-28 cycle (fall 2027 applications):

School	Policy
Harvard	Required
Dartmouth	Required
Brown	Required
Cornell	Required
Penn	Required
Yale	Required
Princeton	Required
Columbia	Required

If you're in the class of 2028 or younger, there is no Ivy League school where you can apply without a standardized test score.

Why the Ivy League Walked Back Test-Optional

After the pandemic, more than 1,700 colleges went test-optional, including every Ivy League school. The theory: standardized test scores disadvantaged students from lower-income families and first-generation college students, and removing the requirement would produce more equitable applicant pools.

What institutions found when they studied their own data: voluntary test submitters at highly selective schools performed at higher rates than non-submitters, and schools had difficulty benchmarking academic preparation across thousands of applicants without a standardized measure. Dartmouth published faculty research in early 2024 that reached this conclusion and was among the first to reverse course. Harvard, Brown, Cornell, and Penn followed. Princeton announced its return. Now Columbia.

Public universities were moving even faster — the entire University System of Georgia and the University of Florida had already reinstated requirements for their systems.

Columbia's faculty finding that test scores are "a useful indicator of potential student success" doesn't mean a high score gets you in. Ivy League admissions is still holistic. It means they want the data point to assess your academic preparation — not that a 1580 beats a 1420 in their formula. A compelling application with a 1420 and strong context can compete; a 1580 with nothing else won't move the needle.

Three Things Most Students Won't Read Elsewhere

1. The waiver exists — but it's opt-in. Columbia's hardship and access waiver means a student who genuinely cannot reach a testing center isn't permanently blocked. But you have to request it, explain your circumstances, and have the request evaluated. It's not automatic, and it's not for students who simply haven't gotten around to testing.

2. Rising seniors still have a real test-optional window this fall. If you're in the class of 2027, applying this fall, Columbia is still test-optional. This is one of the last cycles where you can apply to an Ivy League school without submitting scores at all. That window for future applicants does not exist. If you have a strong score, submit it. If you don't, you're still eligible.

3. Submission rates were already climbing before this announcement. The surge in voluntary test score submissions at test-optional schools was already changing the competitive dynamic — even before formal requirements returned. At many highly selective schools, the majority of admitted students were submitting scores voluntarily. The formal requirement is, in many ways, catching up to what was already happening in practice.

What Rising Juniors Should Do Now

If you're finishing 11th grade and Columbia is on your list — or if you're targeting any Ivy League school — here is the realistic timeline:

1. This summer: Register for a fall SAT or ACT. Check SAT test dates for 2026-27 and ACT test dates for 2026-27. October and November sittings fill up.
2. Fall 2026: Take your first official sitting. If you're not sure which test fits you better, compare the SAT and ACT before you register.
3. Spring 2027: Retake if needed. April and June are your last realistic options before fall 2027 application season.
4. Summer 2027: Finalize scores. The Common App and Columbia's Early Decision deadline (typically November 1) are nine months away.

Not sure what score to target? Our good SAT score guide covers the 25th and 75th percentile ranges at highly selective schools — knowing the range gives you a realistic ceiling to work toward, not just an arbitrary maximum.

For the full picture on what Ivy League applications require beyond test scores, read our guide to getting into the Ivy League.

The Bottom Line

The test-optional experiment lasted about five years at the Ivy League. For students applying starting in fall 2027, it's over. That doesn't mean test scores are the only thing that matters — Ivy League admissions has never worked that way — but it means you need a score in the game.

If you're a rising junior, start preparing now. If you're a rising senior, this fall may be one of the last times you can submit an Ivy League application without one.

Footnotes

1. Higher Ed Dive. (2026). Columbia reinstates SAT, ACT requirements for 2027-28. Higher Ed Dive. https://www.highereddive.com/news/columbia-reinstates-sat-act-requirements-for-2027-28/822957/ ↩ ↩²

2. Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions. (2026). Testing Policy Update. Columbia University. https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/testing-policy-update ↩