WashU testing policy at a glance: No, WashU does not require the SAT or ACT. The university confirms a test-optional policy for applicants entering in fall 2027, with the requirement automatically waived and no penalty for students who cannot or choose not to submit. WashU pairs the choice with some of the most generous scoring rules anywhere and, new this cycle, adds an Early Action round to its application options. Families planning a testing timeline around WashU can schedule a consultation to build a complete testing and application strategy.
Source: Washington University Bulletin, Admission Procedures (bulletin.wustl.edu/undergrad/admissions).
Does WashU Require the SAT or ACT?
No. WashU is test optional for fall 2027 admission, stated plainly in the university bulletin and echoed on the admissions office’s own what’s-new page, which lists no change to our test optional policy among this cycle’s updates. Students who are unable to submit scores, or simply elect not to, have the requirement automatically waived and are not penalized. Those who do submit may use either the SAT or ACT with no preference between them; the writing and essay sections are not required, and the ACT Science section is optional and will not be used in the ACT superscore composite calculation. Students may also submit AP or IB results, or other forms of testing, in addition to or in lieu of the SAT or ACT.
WashU’s scoring rules are among the friendliest in elite admissions. Test results from any of a student’s high school years are acceptable, and WashU considers only the highest individual section scores whenever they occurred, a full superscore of both exams that even accepts individual section retakes. When a student submits both the ACT and SAT, WashU considers whichever set of scores is most advantageous. Self-reporting is accepted on the Common and Coalition applications, sparing families reporting fees, with official reports, ACT code 2386 and SAT code 6929, required only from students who enroll. The last accepted test dates are December, or October for Early Decision I applicants, so the calendar accommodates a late-maturing score.
How Has WashU’s Testing Policy Changed?
WashU went test optional in 2020, extended the policy through the middle of the decade in stated increments, and has now carried it into the fall 2027 cycle with an explicit no-change confirmation, keeping the university among the top-tier holdouts alongside Duke, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago. What did change for fall 2027 sits around the policy rather than in it: WashU added a non-binding Early Action round to its Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision options, began considering demonstrated interest, dropped an optional essay, and set a December 16 priority deadline for its Danforth, Ervin, and Rodriguez Signature Scholar Programs and the Nemerov Writing Scholars Program.
The application-round changes reshape testing timelines more than the optional policy does. Early Action and Early Decision I both close November 2, with Early Decision II and Regular Decision on January 4, and the new Early Action option gives score-optional applicants a non-binding early read that WashU never previously offered. Submission behavior at WashU mirrors its optional peers: roughly a third of recent applicants submitted SAT scores and a similar share the ACT, with published ranges among submitters around 1500 to 1570 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT, and the no-score share among admits remains substantial. WashU also stays need-blind for domestic first-years, which keeps the optional promise coherent across the whole file.
| Policy Detail | WashU |
|---|---|
| Requirement status | Test optional for fall 2027 entry; requirement automatically waived for non-submitters with no penalty |
| Superscoring | Both exams; highest individual sections from any high school year, section retakes accepted |
| Dual submission | If both exams are submitted, WashU considers whichever set of scores is most advantageous |
| Optional sections | Writing and essay sections not required; ACT Science optional and excluded from the superscore composite |
| Application rounds | New Early Action plus Early Decision I (November 2), Early Decision II and Regular Decision (January 4); scholarship priority December 16 |
| Score timing | Last accepted test dates: December, or October for Early Decision I; self-reporting accepted with officials upon enrolling |
What SAT and ACT Scores Are Competitive at WashU?
The submit calculus at WashU tilts on its unusually forgiving mechanics. Because any high school year’s scores count, only the highest sections are read, individual section retakes are accepted, and the stronger of two exams wins, a WashU submission is close to a best-case construction of a student’s entire testing history, which lowers the bar for submitting relative to stricter peers. Ranges among admitted submitters run roughly 1500 to 1570 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT, so anything from about 1480 upward belongs in the file. Below that, the automatic waiver is genuine and the review leans on transcript rigor, the essays, and, new this cycle, demonstrated interest, which non-submitters should cultivate deliberately.
How Should You Plan Testing for WashU?
WashU’s calendar now has four doors, and testing plans should match the door. Early Action and Early Decision I applicants face the November 2 deadline with October as the last accepted test date for ED I, so their arc is the standard spring-junior-year sitting plus an early-fall retake. Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants hold until January 4 with December sittings still accepted, room for one more swing. Scholarship-minded families should anchor on December 16, the priority date for the Signature Scholar and Nemerov programs, where a strong submitted score can reinforce the academic case. Self-reporting keeps every option free until enrollment, and sophomore-year scores a student is proud of never expire.
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 WashU Olin, Washington University in St. Louis Supplemental Essays Strategy: Prompts, Approach, and Strategy for 2025-2026, and SAT and ACT Prep Timeline: 9th Through 12th Grade Roadmap for Elite Admissions can help you put testing inside a complete WashU application strategy.
What Does This Policy Mean for Your Application Strategy?
Strategically, WashU rewards testing early and often more than any optional peer, because its rules convert every sitting into permanent upside: a strong sophomore section, a junior composite, and a senior retake all merge into one best-case profile, and a weak administration costs nothing. The new Early Action round changes list construction too, giving families a non-binding early read at a top-15 school without the commitment ED demands, and pairing naturally with binding early applications elsewhere. Demonstrated interest is now on the table, so visits, sessions, and thoughtful supplement work carry formal weight. Prepare as if scores were required, submit anything in range, and let WashU’s mechanics do the flattering.
Frequently Asked Questions About WashU’s Testing Policy
Yes. WashU confirms a test-optional policy for applicants entering in fall 2027, with the requirement automatically waived for students who cannot or choose not to submit and no penalty attached to the choice.
No. Claims that WashU reinstated a requirement trace to unreliable aggregator sites. The university bulletin and the admissions office’s own updates page both confirm the test-optional policy continues unchanged for fall 2027.
Yes, both, and generously: WashU considers only the highest individual section scores from any high school year, accepts individual section retakes, and excludes the optional ACT Science section from the superscore composite.
WashU considers whichever set of scores is most advantageous to the applicant, so students with a genuine choice can report both and let the committee take the better view.
WashU added a non-binding Early Action round alongside Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision, began considering demonstrated interest, dropped an optional essay, and set December 16 as the scholarship priority deadline.
Submitter ranges cluster around 1500 to 1570, so we suggest submitting from roughly 1480 upward. WashU’s best-case scoring mechanics mean a submission reflects a student’s strongest sections across every sitting.
December test dates are the last accepted for most rounds, with October the cutoff for Early Decision I, so Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants keep a December swing sitting available.
The Danforth, Ervin, and Rodriguez Signature Scholar Programs and the Nemerov Writing Scholars Program review the full application by the December 16 priority date, and a strong submitted score can reinforce the academic case.
Sources: Washington University Bulletin, WashU Undergraduate Admissions, College Board SAT Suite, ACT, NCES College Navigator, College Scorecard.
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