Schools’ Test Policies on the ACT Science Section
| US News College Ranking (2025) | School | Test Policy | ACT Science Section | Superscore Legacy AND Enhanced ACT? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University | Test Optional | Optional, for the Enhanced ACT only | ?? | All exams taken prior to April 2025 should be reported with all four sections. We will accept the old ACT with all four sections (EMRS) or the new ACT with three sections (EMR) |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Test Required | Optional | ?? | If you take the same test multiple times, we will consider the highest score achieved in each section. |
| 3 | Harvard University | Test Required | Optional | No | We do not create superscores for applicants. We will evaluate your application noting the highest test scores in each section across test dates for the SAT and your strongest sitting for the ACT. |
| 4 | Stanford | Test Required | Optional | ?? | We understand that students may not have a choice about which ACT exam is available to them during the transition period, or students may have scores from a previously taken original exam. We will accept both exams equally and have no preference for one over the other. |
| 5 | Yale University | Test Flexible | Optional | ?? | Applicants may report “super-scored” results from the SAT or ACT, i.e. their highest section scores or a recalculated ACT composite score from across multiple test administrations. |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins | Test Required | Optional | ?? | Testing beyond the SAT or ACT, such as AP exams or the optional Science and Writing sections of the ACT, aren’t required but can add value to your application, especially if they highlight your strengths in areas of interest. |
| 6 | Northwestern University | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | Northwestern will not calculate a superscore for students reporting ACT scores in the 2025–26 application cycle. Instead, applicants who wish to submit ACT scores from multiple test dates should self-report your highest section scores from individual test dates, as well as your official ACT superscore, available in your MyACT account. |
| 6 | Caltech | Test Required | Optional | Yes | In fairness, Caltech will not consider a student's composite score and instead, Caltech will consider each individual subscore: Math, English, Reading, Science (optional), and Writing (optional). |
| 6 | Duke University | Test Optional | Recommended | Yes | Students taking the ACT are encouraged to include the science section, especially if interested in STEM fields. Duke will continue to superscore the ACT across test dates and incorporate the science score into the composite when available. |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | Test Required | Optional | Yes | For the ACT, we consider the highest individual English, Math, and Reading scores across multiple tests to calculate a composite superscore. |
| 11 | Cornell University | Test Required | Optional | Yes | For the ACT, Cornell considers your ACT superscore and your highest section scores across all dates. |
| 11 | U Chicago | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | |
| 13 | Brown University | Test Required | Optional | ?? | |
| 13 | Columbia | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | When the ACT Science section is submitted, a superscore composite will be calculated with and without the Science section, and the highest version of the superscore composite will be considered |
| 15 | Dartmouth | Test Required | Optional | Yes | While you are welcome to submit your science and/or writing section scores, they will not be included in the superscore. Composite superscores will be calculated using only the highest English, math, and reading section scores available beginning in the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. |
| 18 | Rice University | Test Recommended | Optional | ?? | |
| 18 | University of Notre Dame | Test Optional | Optional | ?? | |
| 18 | Vanderbilt University | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | If the Science score lowers the ACT superscore, Vanderbilt will not consider it in the admissions process. |
| 21 | Washington University in St. Louis | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | If you decide to complete the science section, it will not be used in the ACT Superscore Composite calculation. |
| 21 | University of Michigan | Test Optional | Optional | no information | likely optional per our email |
| 21 | Carnegie Mellon University | Test Optional/Flexible/Required | Optional (Encouraged for STEM students) | No (no superscore) | |
| 24 | University of Virginia | Test Optional | Optional | ?? | We use the top score from each SAT section across all administrations of the same exam. We hope you will submit all of your scores knowing that we will recombine the sections to get the best possible set of scores. If reporting an ACT score, report the composite and sub-scores as they appear on your official score report without any recalculation. |
| 24 | Emory University | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | Emory University will not require the Science section of the ACT, and we will superscore regardless of type. |
| 24 | Georgetown | Test Required | Required | No | Georgetown does not use the new ACT super score optional reports. Please send all individual ACT scores to our office from each ACT test administration as we are not a score choice school. |
| 27 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Test Optional (>2.8 GPA) | Optional | ?? | If you choose to self-report an ACT, please note that your composite score is calculated using the English, Math, and Reading sections. We will also superscore using these sections should you self-report multiple test date results. If you choose to self-report your Science section, we will review it though it is not required should you report the other three sections. |
| 27 | University of Southern California | Test Optional | Optional | ?? | For students who take either the SAT or ACT more than once and choose to report their scores, USC records the highest scores for each section of the test, even if achieved in different sittings. |
| 30 | University of Texas at Austin | Test Required | Optional | No (no superscore) | If you submit a test score with a Science section, your composite score, including the Science score, will be included in the admission review. |
| 30 | New York University | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | We will super score results across multiple test dates for the SAT and ACT. This includes the ACT with or without the optional science section. |
| 30 | University of Florida | Test Required | Optional | Yes? | Going forward, ACT composite scores used for admissions evaluation and superscoring will include only the required sections: Reading, English, and Mathematics. The Science section will no longer be factored into superscores. |
| 33 | Georgia Tech University | Test Required | Not considered | Yes | We do not use the Science or Writing section |
| 33 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Test Optional | Optional | No (no superscore) | |
| 37 | Tufts University | Test Optional | Optional | ?? | |
| 37 | Boston College | Test Optional | Optional | ?? | |
| 39 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Test Optional | Optional | No (no superscore) | |
| 41 | Rutgers-- New Brunswick | Test Optional | Optional | No (no superscore) | For students who choose to submit their ACT scores, the new composite score will now only include English, math, and reading. |
| 41 | Ohio State University | Test Required | Optional | Yes | Because the science section is no longer part of the ACT composite score, it's not necessary to submit the optional science section. |
| 41 | Boston University | Test Optional | Required | Yes | We recalculate a new composite score using the highest score from each section, regardless of test date. |
| 44 | U Rochester | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | At URochester we super score testing, meaning we use your highest SAT or ACT sub scores in our final decision, even if they are from different test dates. |
| 44 | Maryland, College Park | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | We use the highest subscores from the SAT and ACT in our review of your application, so it is to your benefit to submit all of your test scores. |
| 46 | University of Georgia | Test Required | Not considered | Yes | as in the past, we will only focus on the ACT English and Math in our admission review. |
| 46 | Purdue University | Test Required | Optional | ?? | |
| 46 | University of Washington (partial test blind) | Test Optional/Blind | Optional | Yes | |
| 46 | Wake Forest University | Test Optional | Optional | Yes | for those who decide to submit ACT scores, the science section will be optional. We will also be superscoring if a science section was previously submitted along with the new format. |
| 46 | Lehigh University | Test Optional | Optional | Yes (prefer superscoring same format) | We will superscore with both formats, though we prefer that if possible, scores are submitted using the same format. |
| 51 | Virginia Tech | Test Optional | Not considered | Yes | We only review the ACT English and math scores. For superscoring, we will use the highest ACT English and math scores out of all scores submitted. |
| 51 | Texas A&M | Test Optional/"Encouraged" | Optional | No (no superscore) | Note: Texas A&M does not let students self report |
| 51 | Case Western Reserve University | Test Optional | Optional | Yes |
