A new Kaplan survey of 212 admissions officers, conducted July–September 2026, found that 90% expect this application cycle to be at least as competitive as last year. At test-optional schools, 64% of officers say submitting a strong SAT or ACT score still helps applicants—even though 88% of colleges technically don't require one.

If you're applying this fall and wondering whether to submit test scores, or whether all the competition talk is just noise, here's what the people reviewing applications actually said.

What Admissions Officers Said

Kaplan surveyed 212 college admissions officers between July and September 2026. Here's what they found about this cycle:

  • 90% expect 2026–27 to be at least as competitive as last year1
  • 11% expect it to be much more competitive
  • 33% expect it to be somewhat more competitive
  • 46% expect the same level of competition as 2025–26

Only 10% expected any easing. That's not a cycle that's loosening up—it's one holding firm or tightening.

The bigger worry from the same survey: 68% of admissions officers fear closures or mergers at colleges in the coming years. That's a backdrop that makes every seat matter more—to schools and to students.

"Test-Optional" Doesn't Mean Scores Don't Matter

Here's what most students misread about test-optional policies: optional means you don't have to submit a score. It does not mean scores are irrelevant.

Kaplan's data backs this up. At test-optional schools, 64% of admissions officers say submitting a competitive SAT or ACT score positively influences an applicant's chances.1 That number has held across multiple years of Kaplan surveys.

The practical effect: two applicants with identical GPAs and essays—one submitting a strong score and one not—are not seen as equals at most test-optional schools.

If you're deciding whether to submit, check our guide to submitting scores to test-optional colleges and what counts as a good SAT score for 2026.

A score above a school's 50th percentile range is generally worth submitting at test-optional schools. Below the 25th percentile, it usually hurts more than it helps. Most schools publish these ranges in their Common Data Sets.

The Reinstatement Trend Is Accelerating

Right now, 88% of colleges remain test-optional. But 15–16% of admissions officers at test-optional schools told Kaplan their institution is considering reinstating an SAT or ACT requirement—roughly double the share from last year's survey.2

If you're applying to 10 schools and 1 in 6 test-optional schools is weighing a policy reversal, at least one or two of your targets may look different by next cycle. That's not a hypothetical anymore.

The University of California system is publicly weighing a return to standardized test requirements, according to Kaplan's survey coverage. The UC system dropped the requirement after COVID-era changes, and a reversal would be significant given that it enrolls well over 200,000 undergraduates across nine campuses.

For more on schools that have already made the switch back, see our coverage of Ivy League test requirements for the class of 2027 and Yale's SAT/ACT reinstatement.

The Enrollment Cliff Is Shaping This Cycle

Forty-one percent of admissions officers in the Kaplan survey said they're worried about financial aid. The 68% who fear closures and mergers aren't being dramatic—this connects directly to the enrollment cliff, the demographic drop in 18-year-olds that has been squeezing college budgets for several years.

The irony: the institutions under the most financial pressure are often the ones most aggressively discounting tuition to fill seats, even as flagship schools get harder to get into. A competitive cycle at the top does not mean a competitive cycle everywhere.

That creates real opportunity for students who know what colleges are actually looking for and have built a balanced list. See our guide on how many colleges to apply to—the spread matters more in a bifurcated market.

What To Do Right Now

If you're a junior still testing: The November SAT and December ACT are still options this fall. Check SAT test dates for 2026-27 and ACT test dates for 2026-27 for remaining registration windows.

If you're a senior applying now:

  1. Check each school's middle 50% score range before deciding whether to submit your scores
  2. Map your list against the college application deadlines for 2027—early decision deadlines are arriving fast
  3. Don't assume test-optional means score-blind; 64% of officers say a competitive score still helps
  4. Think through the early decision vs. early action tradeoff at your top choices before November 1

The competition this cycle is real. The students who manage it well are the ones who understand exactly what they're working with.

Footnotes

  1. Kaplan. (2026, October 7). Kaplan Survey: College Admissions Officers See Competitive Application Cycle Ahead, but Worry About Enrollment Cliff [Press release]. Business Wire. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/kaplan-survey-college-admissions-officers-125500102.html ↩ ↩2

  2. Acceptance Rate. (2026, October 9). Will College Admissions Be Harder in 2026-27? Kaplan Survey. https://www.acceptancerate.com/article/kaplan-survey-admissions-officers-2026-10-09/ ↩