The short answer is yes — more than most students realize. “Test-optional” means you are not required to submit a score. It does not mean scores are irrelevant, nor does it guarantee that choosing not to submit will have no effect on your application. Here’s what the research and the colleges themselves actually say.
What “Test-Optional” Actually Means
A test-optional policy gives you a choice: submit your SAT or ACT scores, or don’t. If you submit, your scores will be reviewed as part of your application. If you don’t submit, the school commits to evaluating your application without them.
But there is an important distinction between “test-optional” and “test-blind.” A test-blind school — such as the University of California system — will not consider scores even if you submit them. A test-optional school will still read and weigh any scores you choose to include. At test-optional schools, submitting a strong score can actively help you. Submitting a score significantly below a school’s typical range can weaken your application.
The Landscape Has Shifted: Many Selective Schools Require Scores Again
When you hear the phrase “test-optional,” it’s easy to assume that most colleges — especially competitive ones — no longer care about the SAT. That’s no longer accurate.
Following several years of internal data analysis, a growing number of elite universities have reinstated standardized testing requirements. MIT was among the first in 2022. Dartmouth, Harvard, and Brown reinstated requirements for the 2024–25 admissions cycle, and Yale followed for 2025–26. In October 2025, Princeton announced it would reinstate testing requirements beginning with applicants to the Class of 2032 (the 2027–28 admissions cycle). Columbia is currently the only Ivy League school to have adopted a permanent test-optional policy, though policies across other institutions continue to evolve.
Among well-known schools currently test-required: Harvard, Yale, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, and Georgetown. Stanford and Cornell have more complex or school-specific policies and are not fully test-required — always verify each school’s current policy on its official admissions page before applying, as policies have changed frequently in recent years.
Among well-known schools currently test-optional: Columbia, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Duke, Emory, Wake Forest, and more than 2,000 colleges and universities nationwide, according to FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
Why Did Schools Reinstate Testing? The Research
The schools that returned to requiring scores didn’t do so arbitrarily. Each conducted years of internal data analysis, and the findings were remarkably consistent.
Dartmouth commissioned a formal study by four of its faculty — economists and a sociologist — who analyzed applicant data spanning both test-required and test-optional admissions years. Their conclusion, published in a report to the university president in January 2024, was direct: standardized test scores are among the most reliable indicators of success in Dartmouth’s curriculum, and that relationship holds across income levels and demographic backgrounds. The researchers also found that under test-optional policies, high-achieving students from lower-income backgrounds were less likely to submit scores — even when submitting would have helped their applications — causing admissions to miss students who would have thrived at Dartmouth.
Yale’s research reached similar conclusions. According to Yale’s dean of admissions, Jeremiah Quinlan, the school’s internal data consistently identified test scores as one of the strongest predictors of a student’s future academic performance at Yale — and that held true even after controlling for family income. Yale also found that when scores were not available, admissions officers unconsciously gave more weight to factors like extracurricular activities and the quality of recommendation letters — factors that disproportionately favor students from more affluent backgrounds.
Harvard’s announcement in April 2024 cited the same logic: standardized tests provide information that is predictive of college success and, when evaluated in the context of a student’s high school environment, can help identify promising students from disadvantaged backgrounds who might otherwise be overlooked.
Princeton’s October 2025 announcement followed a five-year review of its own test-optional data, which found that students who submitted test scores academically outperformed those who did not — though this likely reflects differences in applicant pools as much as any direct causal relationship.
If a School Is Still Test-Optional, Should You Submit?
This depends almost entirely on where your score falls relative to the school’s middle 50% range — the band between the 25th and 75th percentile of enrolled students. You can find this data on each school’s Common Data Set filing.
The general guidance is:
- Submit your score if it falls at or above the school’s 25th percentile — especially if it’s near or above the 50th percentile (the midpoint of the middle 50% range). A score in this range is an asset.
- Consider submitting if your score falls just below the 25th percentile but your school context is relevant — for example, if you attended a high school where resources were limited and your score still represents genuine achievement.
- Do not submit if your score falls significantly below the school’s 25th percentile. At that point, it is more likely to raise questions than to strengthen your application.
Some analyses, including research cited by the College Board, suggest that applicants with scores at or above a school’s typical range may have meaningfully higher admission rates when submitting scores than when withholding them. That doesn’t mean withholding a weak score is wrong — it means a strong score is genuinely valuable even when it isn’t required.
Also keep in mind that even at test-optional schools, scores can matter beyond the admissions decision itself. Many colleges still consider SAT or ACT scores for merit scholarships, Honors program eligibility, and course placement. Check each school’s policy carefully — the admissions office and the scholarship office sometimes operate under different rules.
A Note on Low-Income and First-Generation Applicants
One of the more counterintuitive findings from the research on test-optional admissions is that these policies may not serve lower-income students as well as originally intended. At highly selective schools, admissions officers reviewing applications without scores ended up placing greater weight on factors such as advanced coursework, enrichment activities, and polished essays — all of which correlate strongly with family income and school resources. A student attending a well-resourced high school is better positioned to shine in those areas than one who attended a school with limited course offerings.
For students from under-resourced schools, a solid test score — even one that falls below a school’s median — can actually be a positive signal when considered in context. Many selective schools evaluate scores in the context of the student’s high school, meaning a score is weighed against what students typically achieve at your school, not against a national or institutional average. A 1350 from a school where the average is 980 tells an admissions officer something meaningful. A 1350 from a school where the average is 1200 tells them something different. If you have a score that reflects genuine effort and ability, it is often worth submitting — especially at schools that explicitly describe evaluating scores in context.
The Practical Decision Framework
Here is a simple approach to deciding whether to submit:
- Look up the school’s middle 50% SAT range. You can find this in Section C9 of each school’s Common Data Set, linked from the admissions page.
- Compare your score. If your score is at or above the 25th percentile, submitting is generally advisable. If it is significantly below the 25th percentile, consider going test-optional for that school.
- Think about your overall application. If your GPA, coursework, and extracurriculars are strong, a below-average score may not do much damage — but it also won’t help. If other parts of your application are weaker, a strong score can provide important support.
- Check scholarship and honors requirements. Even if a school is test-optional for admission, scores may still be required or considered for merit aid. Don’t assume the admissions policy covers everything.
The Bottom Line
Test-optional does not mean test-irrelevant. At the overwhelming majority of selective colleges that remain test-optional, a strong SAT or ACT score is still an asset — and the research from institutions that have studied the question most carefully shows that scores remain among the most useful tools for evaluating academic readiness. The trend among highly selective schools has recently moved toward requiring scores again, though policies continue to evolve and are worth verifying for each school on your list.
The best approach for almost every student: take the SAT or ACT, prepare seriously, and let your score determine your strategy. A strong score opens doors. It never closes them.
If you’re still working on your score, FreeTestPrep.com has free drills organized by question type for both tests: