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. 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 in the Ivy League 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 said students who face circumstances such as financial hardship can request a waiver and will not be at a disadvantage for doing so. The symmetry is hard to miss: Columbia extended its test-optional policy in 2023 with no stated end date and is the last Ivy to walk it back (Columbia testing policy update). 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 2026-27; AP, IB, A-Level, or national exam results can meet it only in exceptional cases when the SAT and ACT are not accessible |
| Cornell | April 2024 | Class of 2030 (2025-26 cycle) | Scores neither required nor expected from transfer applicants |
| Penn | February 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, and Princeton says non-submitters will not be at a disadvantage |
| Columbia | June 2026 | 2027-28 cycle | Last Ivy to reinstate; hardship waivers available, and Columbia says requesters will not be at a disadvantage |
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.
Oriel Admissions sees the strategic trap in the transition year as assuming a score does not matter: optional has never meant neutral at this level. Princeton and Columbia both say applicants without scores will not be at a disadvantage, yet a strong score is still an asset at every school on the list, and 60 percent of Princeton first-year students who enrolled in fall 2025 submitted SAT scores, according to its Common Data Set. 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 later announcements cited similar internal findings: Columbia framed its decision around a multi-year faculty review, Princeton cited a review of five years of data showing stronger academic performance at Princeton among students who submitted scores (Princeton standardized testing), and the Yale College dean said SAT and ACT scores are strong predictors of future academic performance at Yale (Yale News, May 27, 2026). Critics continue to argue that required testing advantages families who can afford preparation, and several schools pair their requirements with waiver or exception processes. Whatever the merits of the debate, the policy outcome is settled: Ivy League SAT requirements now apply across the board, and the Yale test-flexible option is gone, although Harvard still lets AP, IB, A-Level, or national exam results meet its requirement in exceptional cases when the SAT and ACT are not accessible (Harvard first-year applicants).
How the High School Classes of 2027 and 2028 Should Plan
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. Juniors face the full set of Ivy League SAT requirements, and Oriel Admissions advises treating 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. Recent middle 50 percent SAT ranges for enrolled Ivy League students run from the mid-1400s to around 1560, for example 1440 to 1550 at Penn and Dartmouth and 1510 to 1560 at Columbia, and 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 once the requirement begins, students facing circumstances such as financial hardship can request a waiver without being at a disadvantage.
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 in February, March, and April 2024.
Recent middle 50 percent SAT ranges for enrolled students run from the mid-1400s to around 1560, for example 1440 to 1550 at Penn and Dartmouth and 1510 to 1560 at Columbia. 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 lists circumstances such as financial or personal hardship, lack of access to testing locations, and natural disaster or community disruption, and says students who request a waiver will not be at a disadvantage. Policies differ by school, so applicants should confirm the current terms with each admissions office.
Oriel Admissions recommends it only with a score that is genuinely uncompetitive for those pools. Both schools say non-submitters will not be at a disadvantage, but a strong score is still an asset, so withholding one should be a calculated decision rather than a default.
Every Ivy League school accepts either the SAT or the ACT. 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: Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, Testing Policy Update, Princeton Admission, Standardized Testing, Yale News, May 27, 2026, Dartmouth Office of the President, February 5, 2024, Harvard Gazette, April 11, 2024, Cornell Chronicle, April 2024, Penn Today, Harvard College, First-Year Applicants, Higher Ed Dive, The Baltimore Sun.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
