“TEST OPTIONAL”- 2023 AND BEYOND

Written By Laurie Palagyi

The college admissions landscape is constantly changing and I want to keep you updated with the most relevant information to help you stay Out in Front.

As the "test optional" world unfolds, colleges continue to shift in whether they will require standardized testing as part of the application. As we have discussed, sending a test score may be required for a school on your list and/or may be an important part of your profile so it is important to work toward a strong score.

I am recommending that the high school class of 2023 (current 11th graders) take the ACT or SAT, but whether or not they submit the scores depends on test availability and personal performance. Our advice is that: 1. Students should not be engaged in herculean efforts to take a test (e.g., travel great distances to find a test); 2. If your test score does not fall within the 50% range of your desired school OR it doesn’t reflect your academic performance, you have the option to not submit (if your desired school remains test optional); 3. You must enter the college admissions cycle with your eyes wide open, meaning that you may not look competitive without a test score. Remember, if you decide to not submit your test score, everything else will matter more in the admissions process. Rigor and grades will matter the most supported by a compelling story.

I am encouraged by the number of schools that have already announced a test optional policy through 2023 – often calling it a “3-year pilot.” Combined with the schools that have been traditionally (and permanently) test optional, there are more test optional choices than ever for the high school class of 2023 and I anticipate more to come

List of SAT and ACT Test Optional Colleges for 2022-2023

  • Amherst

  • Adelphi University 

  • Babson University

  • Barnard College

  • Baylor University 

  • Boston University

  • Bucknell University

  • Cal State System (Test Blind through Spring 2023 with 2.5)

  • Case Western Reserve University

  • Colgate University 

  • College of Charleston 

  • College of William & Mary 

  • Davidson College 

  • Drexel University

  • Elon University 

  • Hamilton College

  • Haverford College

  • Indiana University – Blomington

  • Oberlin College and Conservatory 

  • Oglethorpe University 

  • Middlebury College

  • The University of Notre Dame

  • Pepperdine University

  • Penn State University

  • Rhodes College 

  • Rhode Island School of Design

  • St. Louis University 

  • Stanford University

  • Trinity University 

  • Tufts University (3-year pilot)

  • Tulane University 

  • University of California System (all campuses test blind)

  • University of Connecticut 

  • University of Maryland

  • University of Southern California

  • Vassar College

  • University of Vermont 

  • University of Virginia 

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison 

  • Williams College 

Colleges with Permanently Test Optional Policy

  • American University 

  • Bard College 

  • Bates College

  • Bennington College 

  • Bowdoin College 

  • Brandeis University

  • Bryn Mawr College 

  • Bucknell University 

  • Clark University 

  • Colby College 

  • Colorado College (permanently test optional)

  • Connecticut College 

  • Denison University

  • Dickinson College 

  • Earlham College 

  • Franklin and Marshall College 

  • Furman University)

  • George Washington University

  • Gettysburg College 

  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges 

  • Knox College 

  • Lawrence University

  • Lewis and Clark College 

  • Macalester College

  • Mount Holyoke College 

  • Muhlenberg College 

  • Pitzer College 

  • Sarah Lawrence College 

  • Scripps College

  • Sewanee — University of the South 

  • Skidmore College 

  • Smith College 

  • Trinity College 

  • Union College 

  • University of Chicago 

  • University of Delaware 

  • University of Puget Sound

  • University of Rochester 

  • University of San Diego

  • University of Washington, Seattle 

  • Wake Forest University

  • Wesleyan University 

  • Wheaton College 

  • Whitman College 

  • Willamette University

Laurie Palagyi