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In June 2026, Columbia University announced that it will require SAT or ACT scores from undergraduate applicants beginning with the 2027-2028 application cycle, making it the final Ivy League institution to move away from test-optional admissions. The other Ivies schools had already reinstated standardized testing requirements over the past two years, and Columbia’s decision means all eight Ivy League universities will require standardized test scores from the high school Class of 2028 onward. This officially closes a period of test-optional policy that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Columbia's New Policy Requires
According to Columbia’s official admissions policy announcement released on June 12:
- The 2026-2027 application cycle (for students entering fall 2027) will remain test-optional at Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Students applying this coming cycle are not affected by this change. In that sense, 2026 applicants should indicate on the Columbia Supplement whether they want submitted scores considered, and that choice carries no penalty either way.
- Starting with the 2027-2028 cycle (for students entering fall 2028), applicants to Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science will be required to submit SAT and ACT results.
- Students who are unable to take standardized tests due to valid circumstances such as financial hardship or a natural disaster may submit a formal test waiver request.
- Columbia has stated that requesting a waiver will not disadvantage an applicant.
- Columbia has confirmed it will not set a minimum score cutoff.
- Columbia’s guidance also outlines reporting rules. ACT submissions must include the English, Math, and Reading sections along with the Composite score, while Science and Writing remain optional. SAT submissions must include Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math. The university will evaluate the highest section results across all test dates a student submits.
Barnard College, which is affiliated with Columbia but operates its own admissions process, will continue its test-optional policy through the 2027 admissions cycle. Whether a student submits test scores or not, Barnard has stated that choice carries no penalty. Students who do submit scores have them superscored across every sitting, the same approach used at Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. In 2023, roughly 50% of Barnard applicants voluntarily submitted SAT or ACT scores.
Columbia’s School of General Studies, which serves non-traditional students such as those completing an interrupted degree or enrolled in a dual-degree program, has also been test-optional since 2020 and has not yet announced any policy changes in the recent months.
Despite reinstating the testing requirement, Columbia emphasized that its admissions process will remain holistic. Course rigor and GPA remain the foundation of the review. Essays, extracurricular involvement, and letters of recommendation also carry substantial weight. Test scores are only one part of the picture; they do not override the rest of the application.
Why Is Columbia Bringing Back Test Requirements?
Columbia cited a multi-year faculty review as the basis for this decision. The conclusion is that standardized test scores remain a meaningful predictor of academic preparedness in college, especially given the wide variation in grading standards and curricula across the thousands of high schools that send applicants to Columbia each year. This requirement will help admissions committees better assess a student’s academic preparation.
A second letter followed, signed by nearly 500 faculty in the humanities and social sciences, calling for the reintroduction of the verbal reasoning components of the SAT and ACT. That letter raised a newer argument tied to artificial intelligence: as AI tools make it easier to produce polished essays, test scores may offer a more reliable signal of a student’s independent reasoning and writing ability than admissions essays. The UC academic senate is expected to share its findings with the system’s president and governing board this month.
Columbia isn’t alone in reaching this agreement. In recent years, other Ivies like Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, and Cornell reinstated testing requirements citing similar research findings that point to a correlation between SAT/ACT performance and college academic outcomes.
The broader conversation about standardized testing in U.S. college admissions is continuing to evolve and gain traction. The University of California system’s admissions board recently indicated it is reconsidering its own test-optional stance, a development that has reignited debate across higher education about the role of standardized testing in measuring student potential.
What Do Columbia's Test Score Numbers Actually Look Like?
According to Columbia’s Common Data Set, approximately 61% of admitted students in the 2023 cycle submitted SAT or ACT scores. Among them, the median SAT score was 1540, placing those students in roughly the 99th percentile nationally. This pattern is common among elite universities that have operated under test-optional policies for several years. When submitting a score is optional, students tend to send them for review voluntarily when they believe the scores strengthen their application. By contrast, applicants with weaker results simply withhold them. Over time, this makes the average submitted score look higher than it really represents, since it only reflects the strongest test-takers in the pool.
The return of testing requirements has reopened discussion about equity in college admissions. People who support testing argue that standardized tests give admissions officers one common way to compare applicants from thousands of different high schools with different grading standards. Critics point out that not every student has equal access to resources like test prep, tutors, or retakes, which can put lower-income students at a disadvantage.
Some schools that have reinstated requirements have generally addressed this concern by looking at scores in context instead of on their own. Dartmouth, for example, published research suggesting that reinstating testing helped admissions officers identify high-potential students from under-resourced schools who might otherwise have been overlooked. Most schools have now been clear that scores are evaluated alongside the student’s school environment, geographic background, and access to resources—not in isolation.
Application numbers tell a mixed story. Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown all saw a small decline in applicants after reinstating testing requirements. Columbia, while still test-optional, received a record of 60,247 undergraduate applications this year, still under its test-optional policy. Whether the new requirement will affect future application numbers remains to be seen.
What This Means for Students Planning to Apply
If you’re planning to apply in the 2026-2027 cycle, nothing changes for you as Columbia remains test-optional for this upcoming application season.
For current freshmen, sophomores, or juniors in high school, Columbia’s announcement is worth paying attention to. The broader trend among top U.S. universities is moving back toward standardized testing as part of the application. While holistic review remains the standard at elite schools, a competitive SAT or ACT score is increasingly becoming an expectation rather than a bonus.
Based on 17 years of experience in counseling students during admissions, our recommendations for prospective applicants include the ff. steps:
- Start planning your SAT or ACT timeline early. Give yourself at least one or two opportunities to take the tests before your junior year ends, so a low first score doesn’t box you in.
- Don’t let test prep come at the expense of everything else. GPA, course rigor, research, competitions, and extracurricular involvement are all equally important. Remember: a strong test score supports a strong file rather than replace it.
- Submit a good score even where it’s optional. Submitting strong test remarks generally strengthens your application. A competitive score gives admissions officers another reason to say yes.
If you’re working toward Ivy League or other highly selected schools that require comprehensive application strategy, our team at Ivy Talent Education is here to help. Aralia’s instructors are experienced educators from prestigious American institutions who deliver targeted SAT/ACT preparation and mentorship for rigorous STEM and writing competitions, among others.
Reach out to schedule a one-on-one consultation and get a personalized plan tailored to your academic profile and goals.
