TL;DR: The College Admissions Transparency Index grades 50 of the most selective universities in the United States on how openly, quickly, and accessibly they disclose admissions data and how clearly they explain their process to applicants. In the 2026 edition, Yale, MIT, and Georgia Tech tie for the top score (96, A), eight universities go … Continued
Nearly every college that requires the SAT or ACT builds in escape valves: Penn's hardship waiver, Columbia's waiver route, Georgetown's international access exception, transfer exemptions at Cornell, Johns Hopkins, and UNC, and substitute-evidence paths at Harvard and Dartmouth. A field guide.
Princeton remains test optional for applicants entering in fall 2027, then requires the SAT or ACT beginning with the 2027-28 admissions cycle (fall 2028 entry) for first-year and transfer applicants. See the exact timeline, Princeton's score choice and superscore rules, and how each graduating class should plan.
Yale pioneered test-flexible admissions in 2024, letting applicants substitute AP or IB scores for the SAT, then ended the experiment in May 2026 and now requires the SAT or ACT. Learn why the model strained, which schools still run flexible tracks, and how to use the surviving menus well.
The University of California's test-blind policy faces its first real review since 2020: the settlement that locked it expired in 2025, hundreds of STEM faculty petitioned for testing's return, and the admissions board floated new requirements. What changed, what's proposed, and how to plan.
The Classic Learning Test is a two-hour, 120-point alternative to the SAT and ACT built on classical texts, now accepted by Florida's public universities, the UNC System for fall 2027, the service academies, and over 300 mostly private colleges. Learn where the CLT counts and where it does not.
Whether you can change your test-optional decision after applying depends entirely on the school: Swarthmore locks the choice at submission, Wellesley and Rice allow one-way changes, and Williams, UVA, Northwestern, and Duke keep it open to stated deadlines. Compare every rule before you apply.
MIT requires the SAT or ACT for all first-year and transfer applicants, a requirement reinstated in March 2022, earlier than any elite peer. Learn MIT's superscore and full-sitting reporting rules, its self-report-only policy, the November 30 and December 31 testing deadlines, and how to plan.
Cornell requires the SAT or ACT for first-year applicants to all eight undergraduate colleges, effective fall 2026 enrollment, while transfer applicants are exempt. Learn Cornell's superscore and Score Choice rules, the ACT Science exemption, athlete requirements, and recommended test dates.
Dartmouth requires the SAT or ACT for applicants from US high schools and offers five ways for international applicants to satisfy testing, including three AP exams, IB, or A-Levels. The first Ivy to reinstate testing (February 2024), Dartmouth superscores both exams automatically. Full policy inside.
Brown requires the SAT or ACT for all first-year applicants, including recruited athletes, a policy reinstated in March 2024 beginning with the Class of 2029. Learn how Brown superscores both exams, its October and December testing deadlines, the rare-circumstance exception, and how to plan.
Penn requires the SAT or ACT for all first-year, transfer, international, homeschooled, and QuestBridge applicants, a requirement reinstated in February 2025 for fall 2026 admission. Learn how Penn's hardship waiver works, its SAT superscore policy, score timing, and how to plan testing for Penn.
Columbia announced on June 12, 2026 that it will require the SAT or ACT for all first-year and transfer applicants starting with the 2027-28 cycle, ending the Ivy League's last test-optional policy. The 2026-27 cycle is the final optional window. See the timeline, waiver rules, and how to plan.
Yale requires the SAT or ACT for all first-year and transfer applicants beginning with the 2026-27 admissions cycle, announced May 27, 2026. AP and IB scores no longer satisfy the requirement. See what changed, Yale's superscore rules, ACT section requirements, and how to plan testing for Yale.
Caltech requires the SAT or ACT for all first-year applicants and, starting with the 2026-27 cycle, evaluates scores through a distinctive bucket system: sections of 750 SAT or 33 ACT and above appear to the committee only as a range, never an exact number. Learn how the system works and how to plan.
Duke is test optional for both first-year and transfer applicants in the 2026-27 cycle, one of the last elite universities offering the choice. Learn how Duke's score-suppression and preference-change system works, its ACT superscore rules, deadlines, and when submitting scores is the right call.