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 generous scoring rules 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 fall 2027 updates page from the admissions office, which lists no change to the 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. The university bulletin says ACT Science will not be used in the ACT superscore composite, while the admissions office says that if a student completes Science, WashU will use the best composite with or without it (WashU common questions). 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 generous. 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 superscore of both exams that even accepts individual section retakes on the ACT. 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 Action and Early Decision I applicants, so the calendar accommodates a late-maturing score.
How Has WashU’s Testing Policy Changed?
WashU has carried its test-optional policy into the fall 2027 cycle with an explicit no-change confirmation on its admissions updates page (WashU, important updates for fall 2027). 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 round gives applicants a non-binding early read, with admission and financial aid decisions by the end of December. Among first-year students who enrolled in fall 2025, 32 percent submitted SAT scores and 29 percent submitted ACT scores, and submitters had middle 50 percent ranges of 1500 to 1550 on the SAT, with a median of 1530, and 33 to 35 on the ACT, according to the WashU Common Data Set 2025-2026. WashU admitted 3,968 of 33,283 first-year applicants for fall 2025, a rate of 11.9 percent (Oriel Admissions calculation), and it says about 60 percent of its class is admitted through an Early Decision round. 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; ACT 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 |
| 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 Action and Early Decision I; self-reporting accepted with officials upon enrolling |
| Fall 2025 enrolled students | SAT 1500 to 1550 (median 1530); ACT 33 to 35; 32 percent submitted SAT and 29 percent ACT; 3,968 of 33,283 applicants admitted, 11.9 percent (Common Data Set 2025-2026; Oriel Admissions calculation) |
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. Among enrolled students in fall 2025, submitter ranges ran 1500 to 1550 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT, so Oriel Admissions suggests submitting a score at or above about 1500 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT. 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 both rounds, 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, 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 highly selective university without the commitment Early Decision demands. Demonstrated interest is now part of the review, and WashU points to campus visits, virtual information sessions, Bear Chats with current students, its ZeeMee online community, and conversations with admissions officers as ways to engage. 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. The university bulletin and the fall 2027 updates page from the admissions office 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 on the ACT, and treats the ACT Science section as optional.
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.
Among first-year students who enrolled in fall 2025, SAT submitters had a middle 50 percent of 1500 to 1550, according to the WashU Common Data Set. Oriel Admissions suggests submitting from about 1500 upward. The WashU best-case scoring mechanics mean a submission reflects the strongest sections across every sitting.
December test dates are the last accepted for most rounds, with October the cutoff for Early Action and Early Decision I, so Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants keep a December swing sitting available.
For priority consideration for the Danforth, Ervin, and Rodriguez Signature Scholar Programs and the Nemerov Writing Scholars Program, students submit the Common or Coalition Application by December 16, 2026, then answer a 250-word short-answer question for each Signature Scholar Program. Scores are optional, but a strong submitted score can reinforce the academic case.
Sources: Washington University Bulletin, Admission Procedures, WashU Undergraduate Admissions, Important Updates for Fall 2027, WashU Undergraduate Admissions, Common Questions, WashU Common Data Set 2025-2026.
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