TL;DR: Ivy League SAT requirements are now universal: all eight schools have reinstated the SAT or ACT. Columbia announced the final reversal on June 12, 2026, effective with the 2027-28 application cycle, and remains test optional for 2026-27, as does Princeton (Higher Ed Dive, June 2026). Dartmouth moved first in February 2024, Yale ended AP and IB substitution in May 2026, and for the current 2026-27 cycle six of the eight require scores. By the 2027-28 cycle, the test-optional era at the top of American admissions is over. To build the right testing plan, schedule a consultation with Oriel Admissions.
The Announcement That Closed the Loop
On June 12, 2026, Columbia announced it will require SAT or ACT scores from first-year and transfer applicants beginning with the 2027-28 application cycle, staying test optional for one final cycle in 2026-27. The university attributed the reversal to a multi-year faculty review that found scores to be “a useful indicator of potential student success,” and published hardship exemptions that carry no penalty for applicants who use them. The symmetry is hard to miss: Columbia was the first Ivy to make test-optional permanent in 2023 and is the last to walk it back. With that decision, every school in the league has committed to required testing.
Ivy League SAT Requirements by School
| School | Reinstatement announced | First required cycle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth | February 2024 | Class of 2029 (2024-25 cycle) | First Ivy to reinstate, citing its own predictive-validity research |
| Yale | February 2024 | Class of 2029 (2024-25 cycle) | Launched as test flexible; AP and IB substitution ended in May 2026 |
| Brown | March 2024 | Class of 2029 (2024-25 cycle) | Applies to every first-year applicant, recruited athletes included |
| Harvard | April 2024 | Class of 2029 (2024-25 cycle) | Requirement remains in force for the 2026-27 cycle |
| Cornell | 2024 | Class of 2030 (2025-26 cycle) | Scores neither required nor expected from transfer applicants |
| Penn | Early 2025 | Class of 2030 (2025-26 cycle) | Sixth Ivy to return to required testing |
| Princeton | October 2025 | 2027-28 cycle | Test optional for 2026-27, with no stated disadvantage for non-submitters |
| Columbia | June 2026 | 2027-28 cycle | Last Ivy to reinstate; hardship waivers available without penalty |
Who Must Test This Cycle
For students applying in 2026-27, Ivy League SAT requirements apply at six of the eight schools: Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Cornell and Penn. Princeton and Columbia remain test optional for one final cycle. From the 2027-28 cycle onward, all eight require the SAT or ACT, and the practical planning question disappears.
The strategic trap in the transition year is treating optional as neutral – optional has never meant neutral at this level. At sub-5% acceptance rates, admitted pools skew heavily toward submitters, and a strong score is an asset at every school on the list. The honest framing for a Princeton or Columbia applicant this cycle: withhold a score only if it is genuinely uncompetitive, and treat the decision as a calculated one rather than a default. Our guide on changing a test-optional decision covers the mechanics, and SAT requirement exceptions covers the waiver landscape for students facing genuine access barriers.
Why the Ivies Brought Testing Back
The reversals trace to a common evidence base. Dartmouth published faculty research finding test scores meaningfully predictive of academic performance, and subsequent announcements at peer schools cited similar internal findings – Columbia framed its own decision around a multi-year faculty review. Two background pressures made the research land harder: sustained high school grade inflation, which weakened transcripts as a sorting signal, and the spread of AI writing tools, which weakened essays as one. Critics continue to argue that required testing advantages families who can afford preparation, and several schools paired their reinstatements with waiver processes in response. Whatever the merits of the debate, the policy outcome is settled: Ivy League SAT requirements now apply across the board, and even the flexible substitutes are gone.
How the High School Classes of 2027 and 2028 Should Plan
Rising seniors applying this fall face the six-school requirement map above and should already hold a submittable score; if not, the fall administrations are the last realistic windows, and the remaining test dates should anchor the calendar now. Rising juniors face the full set of Ivy League SAT requirements and should treat testing as a fixed part of the junior-year plan: a diagnostic to choose between the SAT and ACT, a first real sitting by spring of junior year, and one or two retakes banked before senior fall. Published middle ranges at most Ivy League schools start around 1500, and competitive submissions generally sit in the mid-1500s – our SAT score ranges for the Ivy League guide breaks the bands down school by school – so the preparation runway matters more than any single sitting. The families who handle this well treat the requirement as scheduling, not drama – the score becomes one more deliverable on a two-year timeline rather than a spring-of-senior-year crisis.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ivy League SAT Requirements
From the 2027-28 application cycle, yes – all eight require scores. In the current 2026-27 cycle, six schools require testing while Princeton and Columbia remain test optional for one final cycle.
Columbia requires scores from first-year and transfer applicants beginning with the 2027-28 application cycle, which opens in August 2027. The university stays test optional for 2026-27 and offers hardship waivers that carry no penalty.
No. Yale launched its requirement in a flexible form that allowed AP or IB scores in place of the SAT or ACT, then ended the substitution in May 2026. Applicants now submit an SAT or ACT score.
Dartmouth, in February 2024, effective for applicants to the Class of 2029. The announcement leaned on faculty research showing scores were meaningfully predictive of student performance, and Yale, Brown and Harvard followed within weeks.
Published middle ranges at most Ivy League schools start around 1500, and competitive submissions generally sit in the mid-1500s. Exact targets vary by school and by applicant profile, so families should check the current published range for each school on the list.
Several schools maintain exception processes. Columbia published hardship exemptions covering circumstances such as financial hardship, lack of testing access or community disruption, and states that requesting a waiver carries no penalty. Policies differ by school, so applicants should confirm the current terms with each admissions office.
Only with a score that is genuinely uncompetitive for those pools. Admitted classes at sub-5-percent schools skew heavily toward submitters, so a strong score is an asset and withholding one should be a calculated decision rather than a default.
The schools accept either test equally. The right choice is the test on which a student scores in the higher percentile after a diagnostic, and preparation depth matters far more than which exam appears on the application.
Sources: Higher Ed Dive, The Baltimore Sun, Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Yale Undergraduate Admissions, Dartmouth Admissions, College Board SAT Suite.
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