The test-optional era is ending at large public university systems. The entire University System of Georgia — including UGA, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State — now requires SAT or ACT scores for fall 2026 applicants. The University of Florida requires test scores for all applicants. Auburn University is requiring scores for all fall 2027 applicants, regardless of GPA. LSU is reinstating requirements. If your college list includes state flagships, especially in the South, you need a score.

The test-optional era is closing faster than most students realize — and it's not just the Ivy League anymore.

Public university systems, which enroll the majority of college students in the United States, have been reversing course on test-optional admissions across the board. If you're a high school junior or younger and planning your application strategy, this changes the math on whether you need to prepare for the SAT or ACT.

Georgia: Seven Universities Now Require Test Scores

The University System of Georgia (USG) — one of the largest public university systems in the country — now requires ACT or SAT scores for all applicants to its flagship and regional institutions.1

Schools that reinstated requirements include:

  • University of Georgia
  • Georgia Tech
  • Georgia State University
  • Georgia College & State University
  • Augusta University
  • Kennesaw State University
  • Georgia Southern University

Georgia State, which had been one of the more prominent test-optional public flagships, confirmed that applicants for fall 2026 and beyond must submit official SAT or ACT scores. Test scores are evaluated alongside high school GPA as part of the full admissions decision.1

Florida: Tests Required — Including the CLT

The University of Florida now requires SAT, ACT, or CLT (Classic Learning Test) scores for all applicants.2

The CLT is a newer alternative standardized test used primarily by classical education and religiously affiliated institutions, but its inclusion at UF signals that Florida isn't just reverting to the old SAT/ACT framework — any approved standardized test meets the requirement. The key point is that some test score is now mandatory.

Auburn: All Applicants Must Test Starting Fall 2027

Auburn University in Alabama announced it will require all applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores for fall 2027 admissions — and the policy specifically notes that this applies regardless of GPA.2

That last phrase matters. Some universities that reinstated testing made GPA exceptions, allowing high-performing students to skip the testing requirement. Auburn is not doing that. Every applicant for fall 2027 will need a score on file.

LSU and the Broader Trend

Louisiana State University also announced it will reinstate ACT or SAT score requirements for admission.2

LSU joins a wave of large public institutions across Alabama, Georgia, and Florida that have moved away from test-optional policies in the past two years. The University of Alabama is also among the schools phasing in testing requirements for the 2027 admissions cycle.

What Drove the Reversal

The test-optional wave began during COVID-19, when standardized testing was largely unavailable across the country. Most schools extended the policies through 2022, 2023, and 2024 as students navigated an unstable testing environment.

As access to testing normalized, institutions had several years of data to work with. What they found, broadly: applicants who voluntarily submitted test scores to test-optional schools tended to perform better in college than those who didn't submit. For many schools, test scores turned out to be a useful predictor — not just a gatekeeping mechanism.

The political environment in Republican-controlled states added momentum. Several state legislatures have pushed public universities to restore standardized testing requirements as part of broader higher education policy packages. In Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, the reversals align with the direction of state governments.

If you're a current junior planning to apply to public universities in Georgia, Florida, or Alabama, check the specific testing requirements for each school on your list today. Some policies have effective dates that vary by entry term. Assuming a school is still test-optional because it was last year can leave you scrambling.

What This Means for Your Testing Plan

If you haven't taken the SAT or ACT yet, you still have time to prepare and register before fall application deadlines. The SAT test dates for 2026-2027 shows the remaining test windows for this cycle. For timing guidance, the when to take the SAT in junior year guide can help you build a realistic prep-and-test timeline.

If you're unsure which test is the better fit for you, the SAT vs. ACT comparison is worth reading before you register for either. There are meaningful differences in format and scoring that matter for different types of learners.

For schools that still allow optional submission, the guide to submitting scores to test-optional colleges covers when submitting helps, when it's neutral, and when you might be better off not submitting.

For the Ivy League picture, we covered those policy changes earlier this month — Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Penn all require scores now.

Schools That Are Still Test-Optional

Not all schools have reversed course. Notable holdouts as of spring 2026:

  • Columbia University — has made test-optional a permanent policy
  • NYU — test-optional through the 2026–27 application cycle
  • Vanderbilt University — test-optional through fall 2027

But the direction of the trend is clear. The colleges that went test-optional as a temporary accommodation during COVID are running low on reasons to maintain the policy. If your list is weighted toward state flagships — particularly in the South — plan now as if you'll need scores everywhere, because the odds are increasing that you will.

Footnotes

  1. Higher Ed Dive. (2024). Georgia's university system revives SAT, ACT requirements at 4 more colleges. Higher Ed Dive. https://www.highereddive.com/news/georgia-university-system-revives-sat-act-requirements-Augusta-Georgia-Southern-Kennesaw-State/716267/ ↩ ↩2

  2. The College Investor. (2026). Colleges are requiring SAT and ACT scores again — here's the full list for 2027. The College Investor. https://thecollegeinvestor.com/77443/colleges-are-requiring-sat-and-act-scores-again-heres-the-full-list-for-2027/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3