When applying to colleges, the question of whether to submit or not to submit your SAT or ACT score at test-optional colleges is one I get a lot from students as an independent college consultant. And this year, I actually attended one of the largest conglomerates of college representatives and went to the college fair and even asked these questions of colleges: what’s your test-optional take, should students submit or not submit, and where’s the line? So in this blog, I’m going to present data to you as a tool to use for the top 100 or so ranked colleges in the United States—and caveat, I know I’m not going to get to every college, but I’m also going to teach you how to figure out this information yourself, even if your college isn’t on the list.
What we’re doing is we’re looking at the best and worst bets for test optional. I’m also going to include lists of schools that are test-blind and tests required at the end so that you have all of that information. So, the best bets for test optional. How did I calculate this? Not only are these the schools with the highest percentage of enrolled students who didn’t submit an SAT or ACT, they also are below average overall when it comes to how many students submitted test scores with their Common Applications. The Common Application reports that 44.2% of students applying had test scores with their application. Now here’s the catch. The data that we have is not that number. We instead have the percent of students submitting SAT and the percent of students submitting ACT, but those two numbers can overlap because sometimes students submit both.
What percent of students submit both? Well, if we look at colleges and universities that are test required, we see that that percentile can range over the years anywhere from 5% to about 20%. I’m assuming that when it’s 20%, those are very test-required in-state kind of schools like in Florida, where everybody’s taking the SAT. A lot of people are probably taking the ACT also. So I find that it’s more common in those kinds of situations. So I’m just going to average it out and guess it’s about 10%. Okay, so if we add 10% to 44, we get around 48%, and that’s going to be my breaking point when I go through all of these charts. If you’re above 48% with the percent of students enrolled who submitted SAT and ACT scores, you have an above-average proportion of students who are submitting tests and ending up at your college. If you’re below that mark, you have a below-average proportion of students who are submitting test scores.
So the lowest part of that proportion is where I think you have a great shot at getting in without a test score, and again, that doesn’t mean you don’t submit at these schools. If you were at the 50th median percentile or above, I would definitely always submit anywhere. If you’re at the halfway point or above, it’s not going to hurt you. If you’re between the 25th and the 50th percentile, think a little bit about context. Are you from a school where you still have an amazing score you’re really proud of, given the context you’re from? If so, I might submit in that range here. But if you go to a really competitive school and everybody’s got 1550 pluses and you’ve got a 1400 but have straight A’s just like all those other kids, it might look better not to submit.
Best Bets
So, the best bets are the University of Oregon and the University of Washington, which, by the way, is partially test blind. If you’re below that 50th percentile, they won’t even see your scores. There is also Pepperdine, Old Dominion Temple, University of Delaware, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Northern Arizona, SMU, University of New Hampshire, University of Arizona, University of Colorado Boulder, Northeastern University of Rochester, Villanova, New York University, Penn State University, Boston University, University of Connecticut, Marquette, Middlebury, Lehigh, and University of Denver.
Good Bets
The next list is what I call good bets for test optional. These are places where you have a good shot of getting in test optional, but the percentiles are starting to edge up into that wishy-washy area where they’re a little bit test agnostic. They’re right around that average. So from 44% to 48% is the sum of SAT and ACT scores. These are Pomona, Drexel, Boston College, Claremont, McKenna, Tulane, University of Southern California, University of North Dakota, and Wake Forest. All of these colleges are definitely letting in a good number of students test optional. But if your test score helps your application at these places, you know, I would go ahead and submit it. If you’re in the 25th to 75th percentile, it usually isn’t going to hurt you at colleges like this, but if you’re right on that 25th percentile, you might think about context. Again, 50th percentile and above, I’m always submitting. 25th to 50th, you might think a little bit more about context or contact the school and see what their take might be. But again, how many AP scores do you have? Are those really good? Do you need to make up for a B in algebra every year because you got an 800 on your math? What are the circumstances even though your verbal’s a little low?
Okay Bets
Okay bets for test optional are schools where there certainly is a good portion of the class—a reasonable portion of the class—that gets in without a test score that enrolls. But we’re starting to see potentially a little bit of an advantage if you are submitting a score versus not submitting a score, but you still have a shot if you don’t have a test score. These will be the University of South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Washington and Lee, Tufts, the University of Miami, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Texas State University, Rocky Mountain College, Swarthmore, and Amherst.
Poor Bets
Next up are what I call poor bets for test optional. At this point, we’re getting into ranges where it is clear that of the enrolled students, more of them submitted SAT and ACT scores than the average applicant out there in the world. And so many ranges aren’t even that out of control, right? Indiana University is top of my list here, 590 to 690. That’s not the craziest range. Like a lot of you are probably going to be in that 25th to 75th percentile range. If you’ve got a test score and it’s in that range, you probably should send it. Even if you’ve got a 26 on your ACT instead of a 27, it might be better to send it. And again, you can ask the admissions office. Indiana also has a pretty high admissions rate overall. Something to take into account. So poor bets for test optional: Lee Williams, Carelton, Emory, University of Toledo, College of William & Mary, Columbia, UNC Chapel Hill, Michigan State, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Central Michigan, Case Western, University of Virginia, and Harvey Mudd.
Again, you can talk to these schools individually. For example, I recently talked to some reps from Emory, and their take was if you don’t have an SAT score but you have really great AP scores, they’ll look at that, and that can really help you. They’ll look at your IB score if you have an IB of 40 or higher. So, those are the kind of questions you’ve got to look at, you in context. If you’re in that 25th to 75th percentile, safe. If you’re outside of it, you know, ask yourself, do I have other things pulling up my application that are going to take the place of this? Do I have alternate test scores? Or is this really all I have? Do I have to make up for some grades that are iffy, and I’m only 10 points under that 25th percentile rate? You can kind of think these things through and make those decisions. But I think at this point you’re safe, even if you’re a little bit below that 25th percentile, because we’re starting to get into the range where it might be better to send it if you think it proves something that you need to prove. Or if you think in context, it really shows something great about you.
Worst Bets
Next up, worst bets for test optional. So this is a list of colleges where I really say prep for your SAT or ACT. If you need resources to do that, we have them on our site, supertutortv.com. We’ve got a self-paced course for both of the tests. We have the ability to import real tests for both of the tests and analyze those real tests to then get recommendations for study of lessons on our course that correspond with exactly what you missed. So, it replicates a lot of that personalized learning that you get from a tutor. If you have the dedication to do it yourself, it’s a great tool; check it out. We also have tutors. I also teach classes, and some of our senior tutors also teach classes that you guys can check out.
So, worst bets for test optional. The first two entries on this list actually have pretty low sums. But the reason that they make my worst bets for test optional has to do with their upcoming policies. Both Johns Hopkins and Cornell have announced that they’re going test required soon. I actually spoke to reps from Cornell, and they told me if you have 700+ on each section of the SAT, they want to see the scores. So whatever that equivalent is for ACT, I would probably say the same. But Cornell basically has 700+ on each section. They want to see it. Johns Hopkins is going test required, not this cycle, but the following cycle. And that tells me that they really want to see good scores. So even if you’re not at a 1530, let’s say you’re at a 1470, I would probably still send it to Johns Hopkins because they’re about to go test required. And they’re not going to care that everything’s inflated too, right? Everything post COVID, only the best people are submitting things. So if you’re close, I would submit it. Again, you can ask these questions of admissions officers, and they might give you more clarity. But I don’t think it’s going to hurt you if you have a 730 reading and a 750 math. And you’re applying to Johns Hopkins; I would rather see that if I were Johns Hopkins, given that they’re going test required. That’s what the data seemed to tell me.
Carnegie Mellon is now test recommended for CS. I was told by their admissions reps that most of the people who get in at CS have a test score. So if you’ve got a test score, and it’s decent, I probably want to see it at Carnegie Mellon. I’m hoping it’s over a 1500; if it’s a 1470, maybe you still want to send it. It’s probably still potentially relevant. Most majors are going to be required by 2026 in terms of test scores. So again, they really value those test scores, even though their percentile isn’t as large as some of these other schools. If you’re in range, you know, think about it.
Stanford’s also going test required soon. I think this year they actually officially said they are test-recommended. So again, that 25th percentile, take it with a grain of salt. I also think Stanford has nothing to prove to anyone. You guys, they don’t give a darn. So look at your scoring context. Is it really going to make your application look bad? Do you have at least 700 something in each section? Maybe we’re not as low as Cornell on that 700 plus; maybe I need a 730 plus. But if you’re close to that 25th percentile at Stanford, if you’ve got a 33 on the ACT, I would send it. And especially if you’re in a tough context, if you go to school in a really rough neighborhood and most kids at your school have 900s on their SAT and you have a 1400, that’s pretty impressive. And I think Stanford probably wants to see that. So think about context, all that good stuff.
More schools include Kent State, Penn, University of Michigan, NC State, Rice, U Chicago, Indiana, State Princeton, UNLV, University of Iowa, Northwestern, Duke, Wichita State, Ohio State, University of Alabama, Auburn, and Texas A&M. Some of these also are tests recommended, tests preferred, or test encouraged.
Test Required
These colleges require test scores, which makes it easy for you: Purdue, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, MIT, University of Georgia, University of Florida, Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown, Gale, UT Austin, and Caltech.
Test Blind
Test blind is going to be all the UCs. That’s UCLA, Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Davis, San Diego, Irvine, Santa Cruz, Merced, and Riverside. And then Worcester Polytechnic is also test blind among the top 100. Those are the ones that I found and know of. If I miss something, let me know because I know these lists are always changing. We’re trying to keep on top of this. And we tried to get information about what we would call the top 100 ranked colleges. There are a few liberal arts colleges thrown in there. How do you find this data yourself if your school isn’t on my list? One, you get on Google, you Google Common Data Set and the name of the college. Two, you scroll through that Common Data Set and you find section C9. Three, you look for the percentile of enrolled students who submitted SAT scores, the percentile of enrolled students who submitted ACT scores, and you add those percentiles together. Four, you analyze if this number is above or below about 48% or so. And then you can come to the conclusion whether this is a place you really should be emphasizing test scores or whether you can stop studying for my SAT.
I hope you guys found this blog helpful. Check out this week’s YouTube video where Brooke talks about your best bets for applying to colleges test optional. Check out our data below!
BEST Bets for Test Optional
| University | Percent Submitting SAT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Percent Submitting ACT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Sum of ACT/SAT submissions | 25th-75th Reading SAT | 25th-75th Math SAT | 25th-75th overall SAT Range | 25th-75th ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oregon | 9.5% | 5.1% | 14.6% | 580-690 | 550-670 | 1150-1340 | 22-30 |
| University of Washington (partial test blind) | 14% | 5% | 19% | 630-730 | 630-780 | 1280-1490 | 30-34 |
| Pepperdine University | 14% | 7% | 21% | 630-710 | 620-740 | 1250-1440 | 26-32 |
| Old Dominion | 19% | 3% | 22% | 570-660 | 540-630 | 22-27 | |
| Temple University | 23% | 3% | 26% | 580-690 | 560-690 | 1150-1370 | 23-30 |
| University of Delaware | 25% | 3% | 28% | 610-690 | 600-690 | 1220-1360 | 27-31 |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | 28% | 2% | 30% | 540-650 | 540-640 | 1090-1290 | 24-30 |
| Northern Arizona University | 5% | 27% | 32% | 520-650 | 510-620 | 1040-1260 | 19-26 |
| Southern Methodist University | 17% | 15% | 32% | 660-730 | 660-750 | 1340-1470 | 30-34 |
| University of New Hampshire | 30% | 2% | 32% | 570-670 | 550-650 | 1130-1310 | 26-31 |
| University of Arizona | 13% | 22% | 35% | 570-680 | 570-690 | 1150-1350 | 21-30 |
| University of Colorado, Boulder | 26% | 9% | 35% | 580-690 | 570-700 | 1160-1380 | 28-33 |
| Northeastern University | 27% | 8% | 35% | 710-760 | 750-790 | 1460-1530 | 33-35 |
| U Rochester | 26% | 10% | 36% | 690-750 | 710-790 | 1410-1510 | 31-34 |
| Villanova University | 25% | 11% | 36% | 690-740 | 710-770 | 32-34 | |
| New York University | 27% | 12% | 39% | 720-770 | 760-800 | 1480-1550 | 33-35 |
| Penn State University | 33% | 6% | 39% | 610-690 | 610-710 | 1230-1390 | 27-32 |
| Boston University | 30% | 10% | 40% | 680-740 | 710-780 | 1410-1500 | 32-34 |
| University of Connecticut | 37.0% | 4.0% | 41.0% | 610-700 | 600-720 | 1220-1410 | 29-33 |
| Marquette University | 14% | 27% | 41% | 600-680 | 590-680 | 1200-1340 | 26-31 |
| Middlebury College | 28% | 14% | 42% | 720-770 | 710-780 | 1440-1530 | 33-34 |
| Lehigh University | 33% | 10% | 43% | 670-730 | 680-760 | 1370-1480 | 31-33 |
| University of Denver | 27% | 16% | 43% | 620-700 | 600-690 | 1220-1370 | 28-32 |
GOOD Bets for Test Optional
| University | Percent Submitting SAT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Percent Submitting ACT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Sum of ACT/SAT submissions | 25th-75th Reading SAT | 25th-75th Math SAT | 25th-75th overall SAT Range | 25th-75th ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pomona College | 29% | 15% | 44% | 730-770 | 750-790 | 1480-1550 | 33-35 |
| Drexel University | 38% | 6% | 44% | 610-700 | 620-730 | 1250-1410 | 27-33 |
| Boston College | 28% | 16% | 44% | 710-760 | 720-780 | 33-34 | |
| Claremont McKenna College | 29% | 16% | 45% | 710-770 | 740-790 | 1470-1530 | 33-35 |
| Tulane University | 14% | 31% | 45% | 690-750 | 700-760 | 1400-1490 | 31-33 |
| University of Southern California | 32% | 14% | 46% | 700-760 | 740-790 | 1450-1530 | 32-35 |
| University of North Dakota | 4% | 43% | 47% | 540-650 | 560-640 | 1130-1270 | 20-26 |
| Wake Forest University | 26% | 22% | 48% | 690-740 | 700-770 | 1410-1500 | 32-34 |
OK Bets for Test Optional
| University | Percent Submitting SAT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Percent Submitting ACT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Sum of ACT/SAT submissions | 25th-75th Reading SAT | 25th-75th Math SAT | 25th-75th overall SAT Range | 25th-75th ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Carolina | 32% | 17% | 49% | 600-690 | 580-690 | 1190-1370 | 26-32 |
| Vanderbilt University | 25% | 26% | 51% | 740-770 | 770-790 | 1500-1560 | 34-35 |
| Washington and Lee University | 27% | 25% | 52% | 710-750 | 700-780 | 1410-1530 | 32-35 |
| Tufts University | 35% | 18% | 53% | 710-760 | 750-790 | 1470-1530 | 33-35 |
| University of Miami | 32% | 21% | 53% | 660-720 | 670-750 | 1340-1450 | 30-33 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | 16% | 38% | 54% | 660-730 | 690-780 | 1370-1490 | 28-32 |
| Texas State University | 47% | 7% | 54% | 500-610 | 480-580 | 19-26 | |
| Rocky Mountain College | 8% | 46% | 54% | 520-620 | 470-620 | 1010-1220 | 19-24 |
| Swarthmore College | 40% | 14% | 54% | 720-770 | 740-790 | 1480-1540 | 33-34 |
| Amherst College | 38% | 17% | 55% | 690-770 | 670-780 | 1480-1550 | 31-35 |
POOR Bets for Test Optional
| University | Percent Submitting SAT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Percent Submitting ACT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Sum of ACT/SAT submissions | 25th-75th Reading SAT | 25th-75th Math SAT | 25th-75th overall SAT Range | 25th-75th ACT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana University | 41% | 16% | 57% | 590-690 | 580-710 | 1180-1380 | 27-32 | |
| Washington University in St. Louis | 29% | 28% | 57% | 730-770 | 770-800 | 1500-1570 | 33-35 | |
| University of Notre Dame | 29.49% | 28.63% | 58% | 710-760 | 730-780 | 33-35 | ||
| Bowdoin College | 37% | 22% | 59% | 730-760 | 750-790 | 1470-1530 | 33-35 | |
| Wellesley College | 42% | 17% | 59% | 720-770 | 720-780 | 1460-1540 | 33-35 | |
| Williams College | 42% | 18% | 60% | 730-770 | 740-790 | 1480-1550 | 33-35 | |
| Carleton College | 32.00% | 28% | 60.00% | 700-760 | 710-790 | 1440-1530 | 32-34 | |
| Emory University | 42% | 19% | 61% | 710-760 | 750-790 | 1470-1540 | 32-34 | |
| University of Toledo | 21% | 40% | 61% | 500-630 | 510-640 | 1000-1270 | 22-28 | |
| College of WIlliam and Mary | 45% | 17% | 62% | 695-750 | 670-760 | 1365-1510 | 32-34 | |
| Columbia | 40% | 22% | 62% | 730-770 | 760-800 | 1500-1560 | 34-35 | |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 29% | 34% | 63% | 680-750 | 690-780 | 1380-1520 | 30-34 | test required for students with GPA below W 2.8 |
| Michigan State University | 55% | 9% | 64% | 550-650 | 540-660 | 1100-1300 | 24-30 | |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 47% | 18% | 65% | 660-740 | 680-790 | 1350-1510 | 29-34 | |
| Central Michigan University | 60% | 6% | 66% | 490-620 | 470-590 | 970-1200 | 21-27 | |
| Case Western Reserve University | 43% | 23% | 66% | 700-750 | 730-790 | 1440-1530 | 32-35 | |
| University of Virginia | 50% | 16% | 66% | 700-750 | 710-780 | 1410-1510 | 32-34 | |
| Harvey Mudd College | 50% | 17% | 67% | 720-770 | 760-790 | 34-36 |
WORST Bets for Test Optional
| University | Percent Submitting SAT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Percent Submitting ACT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Sum of ACT/SAT submissions | 25th-75th Reading SAT | 25th-75th Math SAT | 25th-75th overall SAT Range | 25th-75th ACT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins | 41% | 14% | 55% | 750-780 | 780-800 | 1530-1560 | 34-35 | test required 2025-2026 |
| Cornell University (partially test blind) | 42% | 14% | 56% | 720-770 | 760-790 | 1480-1550 | 33-35 | |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 51% | 17% | 68% | 730-770 | 770-800 | 1500-1560 | 34-35 | CS strongly encouraged, most majors required by 2026 |
| Stanford | 47% | 22% | 69% | 740-780 | 770-800 | 1500-1560 | 34-35 | test required 2025-2026 |
| Kent State | 18% | 51% | 69% | 500-620 | 500-610 | 1010-1230 | 18-25 | |
| University of Pennsylvania | 51% | 19% | 70% | 730-770 | 770-800 | 34-35 | ||
| University of Michigan | 52% | 18% | 70% | 670-750 | 680-780 | 1350-1530 | 31-34 | |
| North Carolina State University | 29% | 43% | 72% | 630-710 | 630-740 | 1280-1430 | 25-31 | |
| Rice University | 50% | 22% | 72% | 730-770 | 770-800 | 1500-1560 | 34-36 | "Test Recommended" |
| U Chicago | 46% | 30% | 76% | 740-770 | 770-800 | 1510-1560 | 34-35 | |
| Indiana State University | 71% | 6% | 77% | 450-560 | 430-550 | 880-1100 | 16-25 | |
| Princeton University | 57% | 20% | 77% | 740-780 | 760-800 | 1510-1560 | 34-35 | |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | 11% | 67% | 78% | 500-620 | 480-610 | 18-24 | ||
| University of Iowa | 19% | 59% | 78% | 570-660 | 560-660 | 1130-1310 | 22-28 | |
| Northwestern University | 50% | 29% | 79% | 730-770 | 760-790 | 1500-1560 | 33-35 | |
| Duke University | 50% | 31% | 81% | 740-770 | 770-800 | 34-35 | 34-35 | |
| Wichita State University | 6% | 77% | 83% | 500-638 | 483-620 | 990-1260 | 18-25 | |
| Ohio State University | 21% | 64% | 85% | 620-700 | 630-740 | 1260-1420 | 26-32 | |
| University of South Alabama | 6% | 83% | 89% | 520-610 | 495-590 | 1030-1178 | 19-26 | Test Recommended, test optional students have to submit additional materials |
| Auburn | 18% | 76% | 94% | 620-680 | 610-690 | 1240-1360 | 25-31 | Test Preferred |
| Texas A&M | 75.58% | 20.87% | 96% | 570-680 | 570-700 | 1150-1370 | 25-31 | Test "Encouraged" |
Test Required Schools
| University | Percent Submitting SAT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Percent Submitting ACT Scores Enrolled Fall 2023 | Sum of ACT/SAT submissions | 25th-75th Reading SAT | 25th-75th Math SAT | 25th-75th overall SAT Range | 25th-75th ACT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue University | 73% | 24% | 97% | 590-710 | 600-760 | 1210-1450 | 27-34 | |
| Florida State University | 66% | 32.4% | 98.4% | 630-700 | 610-690 | 1250-1380 | 27-31 | |
| Georgetown | 75% | 34% | 109% | 700-770 | 690-780 | 1390-1530 | 32-34 | |
| Georgia Tech University | 77% | 35% | 112% | 650-740 | 680-790 | 1330-1510 | 28-34 | |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 83% | 31% | 114% | 740-780 | 780-800 | 35-36 | ||
| University of Georgia | 70% | 47% | 116% | 620-710 | 600-710 | 1230-1410 | 27-32 | |
| University of Florida | 79% | 41% | 120% | 650-730 | 650-750 | 1320-1470 | 28-33 | |
| Dartmouth | 43% | 23% | 66% | 740-780 | 760-790 | 33-35 | Test required 2024 | |
| Harvard University | 52% | 22% | 74% | 740-780 | 760-800 | 34-36 | Test required 2024 | |
| Brown University | 54% | 22% | 76% | 740-770 | 760-800 | 1510-1560 | 34-35 | Test required 2024 |
| Yale University | 56% | 26% | 82% | 740-780 | 760-800 | 1500-1560 | 33-35 | Test flexible 2024 |
| Cal Tech | Test required 2024 | |||||||
| University of Texas at Austin | 63% | 20% | 83% | 620-730 | 610-760 | 27-33 | 27-33 | Test required 2024 |
