NYU testing policy at a glance: No, NYU does not require the SAT or ACT. The university says it will remain test optional through the 2027-28 application cycle, and for students who do submit, NYU runs one of the most flexible testing menus in elite admissions with one strict rule: applicants select exactly one testing type on the Common App, and only that type is considered, whether it is the SAT, the ACT, three AP exams, IB results, or an approved international qualification. Families planning a testing timeline around NYU can schedule a consultation to build a complete testing and application strategy.
Source: NYU Undergraduate Admissions, Standardized Tests (www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html).
Does NYU Require the SAT or ACT?
No. NYU says it will remain test optional through the 2027-28 application cycle, and applicants to the artistic programs at Tisch and designated Steinhardt departments also complete an artistic review, such as an audition or portfolio. For students who elect to submit, the structure is distinctive: on the Common Application, an applicant chooses one testing type, and NYU considers only the selected type in review. The menu runs from the SAT or ACT through three AP exams, IB Diploma results (predicted or final), A-Levels, and a range of approved international qualifications, which makes NYU’s policy less a yes-or-no question than a portfolio decision about which single body of evidence represents the student best.
The menu’s fine print rewards careful reading. SAT and ACT results must be within five years of the application date and should be completed before the deadline, and NYU superscores both across test dates, the ACT with or without the optional science section. The three-AP route requires one humanities exam, one math or science exam, and one of the student’s choice, and applicants to the Stern School of Business or the Tandon School of Engineering must make one of the three a math exam: Precalculus, AP Calculus AB or BC, or Statistics. IB candidates may submit predicted or final results, with predictions requested from the school counselor after submission, and Stern and Tandon applicants should take Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches at HL or SL or Applications and Interpretation at HL. A-Level students must submit predictions or final results whatever testing they choose, as must students in the Indian Class XII and Australian ATAR systems, and NYU requires final exam results at enrollment from any system where those exams prove high school graduation.
How Has NYU’s Testing Policy Changed?
NYU’s history explains the architecture. The university built its test-flexible policy before the pandemic, welcoming international qualifications and AP or IB routes alongside the SAT and ACT, then layered test-optional status on top and now says it will stay optional through the 2027-28 cycle. That leaves NYU among the elite privates still holding the optional line as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, and most of the Ivy League require scores, and its flexible menu reads as the middle path between a hard requirement and no testing at all.
The numbers frame what optional means at this scale. NYU received 120,633 applications for the Class of 2029, which it believes is the most received by any private U.S. university, and its Common Data Set reports 10,340 admits from 114,125 first-year applicants for fall 2025 (9.1%), with CAS, Stern, and Nursing below five percent according to NYU. Among enrolled fall 2025 students who submitted, the middle 50% ran 1480 to 1550 on the SAT and 34 to 35 on the ACT, but only 27% submitted the SAT and 10% the ACT (Common Data Set 2025-26), so the bands reflect heavy self-selection. Reporting stays friendly: unofficial scores can be self-reported through the Applicant Portal after submission, with officials due only from enrolling students, under an application authenticity policy NYU flags with unusual emphasis.
| Policy Detail | NYU |
|---|---|
| Requirement status | Test optional through the 2027-28 application cycle, per NYU |
| Select-one rule | Submitters choose exactly one testing type on the Common App; only the selected type is considered |
| Accepted types | SAT or ACT (within five years, superscored; ACT with or without science), three AP exams, IB Diploma (predicted or final), A-Levels, or approved international qualifications |
| Program rules | Stern and Tandon require one math exam on the AP route and specific math on the IB and A-Level routes; Tisch and designated Steinhardt programs add an artistic review |
| Reporting | Self-report unofficial scores via the Applicant Portal after applying; officials due upon enrolling |
| Deadlines | Early Decision I November 1; Early Decision II January 1; Regular Decision January 5; scores should precede the deadline |
What SAT and ACT Scores Are Competitive at NYU?
The submit decision at NYU is really a which-evidence decision. A student whose SAT sits inside or above the enrolled band, roughly 1470 and up, or whose ACT reaches 33, should select that exam and let the superscore work. A student with an uneven SAT but three strong AP results, fives in a humanities subject, a math or science, and a third, may present a stronger file through the AP route, and full IB candidates with robust predictions hold a natural third path. Stern and Tandon aspirants should plan the math requirement early, since a missing calculus or statistics exam forecloses the AP route entirely. Below all of those thresholds, NYU’s optional door is genuinely open at a school where a meaningful share of admits arrive with no scores, and the transcript, essays, and program fit carry the file.
How Should You Plan Testing for NYU?
NYU’s calendar runs Early Decision I on November 1, Early Decision II on January 1, and Regular Decision on January 5, with about 25,000 Early Decision applications for the Class of 2029 showing how much of the pool now arrives in the binding rounds. Testing should conclude before the chosen deadline, since NYU says it cannot guarantee it will wait for scores that arrive after the deadline, which makes October the last comfortable SAT or ACT sitting for ED I and December for the January rounds. Students on the AP or IB routes should map their exam calendar a year out, because AP results arrive each July and predictions must be requested in the fall. Arts applicants to Tisch and Steinhardt should plan their artistic review timeline early, and international students should run the International Qualifications Tool before assuming which exams NYU expects.
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 NYU Stern’s BPE Program (Business and Political Economy), How to Get Into NYU Nursing (Direct-Admit BSN), and SAT and ACT Prep Timeline: 9th Through 12th Grade Roadmap for Elite Admissions can help you put testing inside a complete NYU application strategy.
What Does This Policy Mean for Your Application Strategy?
Strategically, NYU rewards families who treat the select-one rule as leverage rather than constraint. Because only the chosen testing type is read, a weak SAT never has to shadow a strong AP slate, and the decision can wait until the evidence is in: take the diagnostic, sit the exams, then pick the single strongest body of work. The binding rounds sharpen the calculus, since ED I at NYU is a genuine admission lever and deserves the best available file by late October. Program choice drives the rest: quantitative programs want the math signal wherever it lives, the artistic programs want the portfolio hours, and the university’s sheer scale means school-level strategy, which campus, which college, which major, matters as much as the testing line. Choose the evidence, then choose the door.
Frequently Asked Questions About NYU’s Testing Policy
Yes. NYU says it will remain test optional through the 2027-28 application cycle.
Applicants who submit testing choose exactly one type on the Common App, and NYU considers only that type, so a strong AP slate is never shadowed by a weaker SAT, and the choice can wait until all results are in.
Yes. Three AP exams satisfy the testing option: one humanities, one math or science, and one of your choice. Applicants to Stern or Tandon must make one of the three a math exam such as AP Calculus or Statistics.
Yes, both. SAT and ACT results must be within five years of the application date, and NYU superscores each across test dates, the ACT with or without the optional science section.
Yes. IB Diploma candidates may submit predicted results, which NYU requests from the school counselor after the application is submitted, or final results if the diploma is complete. Enrolling students must send final IB results.
Enrolled fall 2025 submitters had a middle-50% SAT of 1480 to 1550, so we suggest selecting the SAT from roughly 1480 upward, and considering the AP or IB routes when those results tell a stronger story than the composite.
Sometimes. A-Level, Indian Class XII, and Australian ATAR students must submit predictions or final results whatever testing they choose, and NYU requires final exam results at enrollment from any system where those exams prove graduation. English proficiency requirements apply separately to non-native speakers.
No. NYU is test optional for every applicant, and the artistic programs at Tisch and designated Steinhardt departments add an artistic review, such as an audition or portfolio.
Sources: NYU Undergraduate Admissions, Standardized Tests; NYU Decision Information; NYU News, January 2025; NYU News, March 2025; NYU Common Data Set 2025-26 (archived copy).
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