Test-Optional Colleges and Admissions Strategies for the 2023–2024 Application Cycle
/A comprehensive list of test-optional colleges, plus strategies to help you maximize your admissions odds
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Part 1: Introduction
Standardized testing can be a stressful part of college admissions. This became especially true in 2020, given changes in test administration and colleges’ testing policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, colleges continue to update their testing requirements, with some extending their test-optional periods and others opting for permanent changes.
If your child is applying to colleges this cycle, or in the next year or two, you may be wondering which colleges are adopting test-optional policies—a trend that is increasing nationwide. “Test-optional colleges” are institutions that don’t penalize applicants for withholding their SAT or ACT scores. You can still submit scores to these schools and have them reviewed.
Some “test-optional colleges” have made testing temporarily optional due to the COVID-19 crisis. Others, like Bard, have stopped requiring test scores altogether as a permanent policy. Others still, such as Yale, have come up with their own unique approach. In 2024, Yale announced their new Test-Flexible policy. Starting with the class of applicants who intend to enter college as freshmen in the fall of 2025, applicants must submit at least one set of standardized test scores from four options: ACT, SAT, AP, and/or IB.
Whether on a temporary or permanent basis, over 1,800 colleges and universities nationwide have made the move to test-optional. There are many reasons why those 1,800+ schools have opted for this policy—qualms with the unevenness of testing, a sense that standardized tests tend to favor wealthy applicants, or concern over the lack of even access to testing centers during the pandemic.
You may be looking at test-optional colleges because your child’s intelligence isn’t fully reflected in standardized tests, or because you think the philosophy of a test-optional college—an emphasis on qualitative or holistic admissions—might suggest a good fit for your child. Philosophically, test-optional colleges signal to applicants that there are many forms of intelligence, educational access, and achievement.
We’ve compiled a list of national and regional colleges and universities for which standardized test scores are optional. We’ll also explore admissions strategies for test-optional schools—and when it makes sense to take the test even if it’s not required.
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Part 2: List of test-optional liberal arts colleges
This list was compiled using rank data from the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Rankings and the National Center for Open and Fair Testing. Some test-optional colleges still require scores from homeschooled students, students from nontraditional schools, or international students—their full policies can be found at the links below.
| Rank | College Name | Test Optional: Permanent Change to Policy | Test optional: Temporary policy during COVID-19 pandemic |
|---|---|---|---|
Additional liberal arts colleges with permanent test-optional policies:
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Part 3: List of test-optional national universities
This list was compiled using rank data from the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Rankings and the National Center for Open and Fair Testing. Some test-optional universities still require scores from homeschooled students, students from nontraditional schools, or international students—their full policies can be found at the links below.
| Rank | College Name | Test Optional: Permanent Change to Policy | Test optional: Temporary policy during COVID-19 pandemic |
|---|---|---|---|
see more on Yale's new Test-Flexible policy above |
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Additional national universities with permanent test-optional policies:
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Part 4: List of test-optional regional universities
This list was compiled using rank data from the 2023 U.S. News & World Report Rankings and the National Center for Open and Fair Testing. Some test-optional universities still require scores from homeschooled students, students from nontraditional schools, or international students—their full policies can be found at the links below.
| Region | Rank | College Name | Test Optional: Permanent Change to Policy | Test optional: Temporary policy during COVID-19 pandemic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Part 5: Takeaways and strategies for applying to test-optional colleges
Takeaway: Many highly ranked, selective small liberal arts colleges have permanent test-optional policies.
26 out of the nation’s top 50 liberal arts colleges have permanent test-optional policies. By contrast, among the top 50 national universities, only 11 are permanently test-optional.
Strategy: Focus on selective liberal arts colleges.
If your child has low ACT/SAT scores, but demonstrates excellence in other areas, it’s worth making a college list that includes a high number of selective liberal arts colleges.
(Suggested: What is a Good SAT Score? The Definitive Guide)
Takeaway during the pandemic: Almost all Ivy League and other elite schools have gone test-optional for this admissions cycle. Many have adopted the policy for several future admissions cycles.
If your child is unable to make it to a testing center due to COVID-19 restrictions, economic hardship, or health issues, this is a relief—their application will be considered, as Harvard puts it, “on the basis of what they have presented.”
This may have the effect of making elite schools more accessible, especially for underrepresented groups. When the University of Chicago adopted a permanent test-optional policy, the number of low-income and first-generation applicants increased by 20 percent.
Strategy during the pandemic: Submit scores to test-optional institutions only if those scores align with the rest of your child’s application narrative.
Test-optional admissions are intended to encourage a holistic evaluation of applicants. That being said, if your child is able to access a test center, it’s always a good strategy to take the SAT or ACT and see how they perform. It’s also a good idea to encourage your child to study and prepare for the SAT in order for them to do their best on test day.
If your child has great grades, is a leader in their extracurricular activities, shows a high level of intellectual curiosity, and has excellent standardized test scores, she should absolutely submit those scores, even if the institution is test-optional. In this case, test scores are simply another way of demonstrating the student’s excellence, and it makes sense to include them.
However, say your child is an excellent student, and is driven, curious, and creative outside of the classroom. Maybe she has a highly impressive arts portfolio or is an accomplished musician but has always had difficulty with standardized testing and doesn’t perform well. Maybe she was sick the day she took the test. If her test scores are low enough to contradict an otherwise excellent admissions portfolio, your child should leave them out.
Keep in mind, though, that in a typical application cycle, many applicants to highly selective colleges will submit standardized test scores, even if those schools are test optional.
For example, at the University of Chicago, only 10–15 percent of applicants chose not to submit test scores in the 2019–2020 application cycle. At Smith, 54 percent of admitted students submitted test scores with their applications. Of Bowdoin’s class of 2023, 31 percent chose not to submit test scores. Even the University of Evansville, which admits about 69 percent of all applicants, says that “most students” submit standardized test scores.
Strategy: Focus on grades, not excessive test preparation.
In a perfect world, your student would have unlimited time and energy to devote to all aspects of their college application. But in reality, students have to prioritize.
Admissions officers at selective colleges often emphasize that your child’s grades—not their test scores—are the best indicator of college success. This is because grades, especially in advanced and AP courses, paint a picture of how your child might perform in a college classroom over time, rather than how they perform on a single day.
The preponderance of test-optional institutions, particularly in the upcoming admissions cycle, should encourage a shift from excessive SAT prep to a focus on academic performance.
Takeaway: Many top regional universities have permanent test-optional policies.
Among universities at the very top of the list in regional rankings, almost all have permanent test-optional policies. Additional highly-regarded, permanently test-optional regional universities include Emerson College, Queens University of Charlotte, and Hamline University.
Strategy: Expand your college list.
If your child’s standardized test scores are low, it’s worth including some highly ranked regional universities on their list. Given the number of regional universities that don’t require test scores, it’s very possible to make a tiered list entirely of test-optional schools. For example, if the University of Chicago is a reach school, Wake Forest and Berry College are both less selective schools that your student could include on their college list.
What’s the difference between test-optional and test-blind?
Test-optional colleges will consider SAT and ACT scores if they’re sent. Test-blind colleges do not accept standardized test scores from any applicants. Test-blind schools have historically not been included in the U.S. News & World Report Rankings—however, U.S. News & World Report announced in 2020 that it would rank them, adding about 205 colleges to its rankings.
Despite their long absence from the rankings, there are a number of colleges that are test-blind. Below is a brief list:
California Institute of Technology (through 2023)
Cornell University (through 2024 at the schools of Agriculture, Architecture, and Business)
Pitzer College (through 2024)
Reed College (through 2022)
Final thoughts
There is an abundance of options when it comes to test-optional colleges, especially in this unusual and difficult admissions cycle. If you’re able to access standardized testing, it’s still a good idea to have your child prepare for and try their hand at the SAT or ACT. A good score can only help.
Including test-optional schools on your child’s college list can be a great way to expand your search and take some of the pressure off of preparing for tests. Whether or not your child is applying to test-optional colleges, it’s always good to remember that standardized testing is only one component of your application, and that the admissions committee is evaluating you based on many other factors.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.