1,200+ Accredited, Four-Year Colleges and Universities with ACT/SAT-Optional Policies (for Fall 2021 Admission)

Current as of  June 5, 2020

Support Test-Optional Admissions

You can help encourage even more colleges and universities to treat applicants as "More Than a Score." Your financial support will allow FairTest to promote test-optional policies at more conferences of admissions policy-makers, reach out to additional higher education leaders and distribute copies of this list to counselors and student advocacy groups. Thank you!

NOTE: This list includes institutions that are "test optional," "test flexible" or otherwise de-emphasize the use of standardized tests by making admissions decisions -- without using ACT or SAT scores -- for all or many applicants who recently graduated from U.S. high schools.

As the endnotes indicate, some schools exempt students who meet minimum grade-point average or class rank criteria; others require SAT or ACT scores but use them only for placement purposes. Please check with the school's admissions office for details

International applicants should refer to this list compiled by Sarah Loring de Garcia.

The list is organized alphabetically by school – to sort by state, click here. For a print-formatted PDF file click here.  Several supplemental files are also available:

• Chronology of schools adopting test-optional policies since 2005 
• Colleges and Universities Temporarily Waiving ACT/SAT Scores for Fall 2020 Admission ONLY
• List of 520+ test-optional and test-flexible schools ranked in the top tiers of their respective categories
• Comparison of number of high school graduates who had taken the ACT and SAT annually over the past 30 years

Sources: College Board 2018 College Handbook; U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2020; U.S. Department of Education Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), admissions office websites; and news reports.

Note: Schools with website “Hot Links” have paid a modest fee for this service. Linking does not imply endorsement. If your institution would like to participate in this “Hot Link” program, please contact FairTest at (617) 477-9792 or by clicking CONTACT US at the top of this page.