Stanford testing policy at a glance: Yes, Stanford requires the SAT or ACT. The requirement, announced June 7, 2024 and effective with applicants for Fall 2026 entry, covers both first-year and transfer candidates and remains in force for the 2026-27 cycle. Stanford superscores both exams, states no preference between them, and recommends scores from tests taken within the past five years. Families planning a testing timeline around Stanford can schedule a consultation to build a complete testing and application strategy.
Source: Stanford Undergraduate Admission, Standardized Testing (admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/testing.html).
Does Stanford Require the SAT or ACT?
Yes. Stanford requires ACT or SAT scores from every first-year and transfer applicant, and it pairs the requirement with unusually generous scoring rules. For the SAT, Stanford superscores by focusing on the highest individual Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math results from all sittings, even combining across a sitting taken with the essay and one taken without. For the ACT, applicants may report the calculated ACT superscore in addition to their highest section scores, and Stanford accepts both the original and redesigned versions of the exam. The ACT’s optional Science section is also optional for Stanford, and the writing or essay sections of either test are optional as well.
The supporting requirements deserve equal attention. Scores may be self-reported in the testing section of the application, and Stanford reviews applications using self-reported or official results, with official reports required only from admitted students who enroll; Stanford reserves the right to revoke an offer if self-reported and official scores do not align. AP exams are not mandatory, but any applicant who has taken AP exams is required to self-report all of those scores. Students in an IB Diploma program outside the US must have a school official send predicted IB marks, and applicants in the British system must submit GCSE results and predicted A-Level marks, typically across at least three full A-Level courses.
How Has Stanford’s Testing Policy Changed?
Stanford suspended its requirement in 2020 alongside the rest of the country, then ran test optional for five admission cycles while its peers began reversing. On June 7, 2024, Stanford announced it would reinstate standardized testing beginning with the 2025-26 application cycle, meaning first-year and transfer students applying for the Fall 2026 entry term and beyond must submit scores. The move placed Stanford in the wave that had begun with Dartmouth that February and ran through Yale, Brown, Harvard, Caltech, Cornell, and the University of Texas at Austin, and it removed the largest remaining test-optional name on the West Coast outside the score-free University of California system.
Stanford framed the return as an evidence question, citing internal review showing the value of scores as predictors of academic performance, while reaffirming that applications are read in context as an integrated whole. The university’s own published numbers hint at how optional the policy had really been at the top of the pool: among students admitted to the Class of 2028, when scores were still optional, the middle 50 percent of SAT submitters scored between 1510 and 1570 and ACT submitters between 34 and 35. When the median submitting admit sits within reach of a perfect score, the formal requirement changes paperwork more than it changes the competitive reality.
| Policy Detail | Stanford |
|---|---|
| Requirement status | SAT or ACT required for all first-year and transfer applicants |
| In effect since | Fall 2026 entry term (announced June 7, 2024) |
| Superscoring | SAT highest Evidence-Based Reading and Writing plus Math across sittings and versions; calculated ACT superscore accepted |
| Optional sections | ACT Science optional; writing and essay sections of both exams optional |
| Other testing rules | Applicants who took any AP exams must self-report all AP scores; British-system applicants submit GCSE results and predicted A-Levels |
| Score timing | Restrictive Early Action: ACT by end of September, SAT by end of October; Regular Decision: end of December for both |
What SAT and ACT Scores Are Competitive at Stanford?
Stanford publishes no cutoffs and no score guarantees admission, but its own Class of 2028 profile puts the competitive band in plain sight: submitters in the middle 50 percent scored 1510 to 1570 on the SAT and 34 to 35 on the ACT. Our working guidance for applicants at Stanford’s tier is to treat roughly 1500 to 1530 as a competitive entry point and 1570 or above as positioning above the median admitted student. Stanford’s superscoring makes those targets buildable: a student can raise Evidence-Based Reading and Writing in one sitting and Math in another, and the committee assembles the best combination. Scores are read alongside curriculum rigor and school context, never as a gate by themselves.
How Should You Plan Testing for Stanford?
Stanford’s calendar has a wrinkle families miss: the latest possible sittings differ by exam. Restrictive Early Action applicants can test through the end of September on the ACT but the end of October on the SAT, while Regular Decision applicants have until the end of December on either test. Stanford also cautions that it cannot delay review for late-arriving scores, so treating those dates as backstops rather than plans is wise. A first official sitting in spring of junior year, targeted summer preparation, and an early-fall retake fits every round comfortably. Students with AP results should remember the disclosure rule and plan to self-report all of them, and British-system applicants should coordinate GCSE and predicted A-Level submission with a school official early.
For the picture across every top school, see our full guide to which colleges require the SAT and ACT. From there, How to Get Into Stanford for Engineering, Stanford Legacy Admissions: Does It Still Help, and How Much?, and SAT and ACT Prep Timeline: 9th Through 12th Grade Roadmap for Elite Admissions can help you put testing inside a complete Stanford application strategy.
What Does This Policy Mean for Your Application Strategy?
Strategically, Stanford rewards the same disciplined arc as its peers with two additions. First, the superscore-across-versions rule means no sitting is wasted, so a student should test early enough to bank a strong section even if the composite disappoints. Second, the mandatory all-AP disclosure removes the option of curating an AP record, which argues for taking AP exams only when prepared to own the result. Transfer applicants must plan testing too, since Stanford’s requirement covers them explicitly. And because Stanford recommends scores from within five years, students taking gap years retain full use of strong high school results rather than needing to retest.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stanford’s Testing Policy
No. Stanford reinstated its testing requirement in June 2024, effective with applicants for Fall 2026 entry, and the 2026-27 cycle requires SAT or ACT scores from every first-year and transfer applicant.
Yes, both. For the SAT, Stanford combines the highest Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math results across all sittings, even across essay and non-essay versions, and for the ACT it accepts the calculated ACT superscore alongside the highest sections.
Yes. Stanford’s requirement explicitly covers first-year and transfer students, so transfer candidates should build a testing timeline just as first-years do.
No. The ACT’s optional Science section is optional for Stanford as well, and the writing or essay portions of both exams are optional, so preparation time is best spent on the core sections.
AP exams are not required, but any applicant who has taken AP exams must self-report all of those scores. There is no curating the AP record, so students should sit AP exams only when prepared to own the results.
Among admitted students in the Class of 2028 who submitted, the middle 50 percent scored 1510 to 1570 on the SAT and 34 to 35 on the ACT. We suggest treating roughly 1500 to 1530 as a competitive entry point and 1570 or above as above-median positioning.
The dates differ by exam: Restrictive Early Action applicants may sit the ACT through the end of September and the SAT through the end of October, while Regular Decision allows either test through the end of December. Stanford will not delay review for late scores.
Yes. Stanford reviews applications with self-reported or official scores, and official reports are required only from admitted students who enroll. Stanford reserves the right to revoke admission if self-reported and official results do not match.
Sources: Stanford Undergraduate Admission, College Board SAT Suite, ACT, NCES College Navigator, College Scorecard.
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