Do I have to take the SAT for 2021 Admission?
The global Coronavirus pandemic has impacted everyone worldwide. Students applying to Universities for Fall 2021 are not excluded from that list. But they may be helped by a change in application requirements regarding testing.
We’ll start by taking a look at what Ohio State says about SAT / ACT requirements:
Is there any change to the ACT or SAT requirement?
Because of the uncertainty of future test dates and availability of standardized tests in the 2021 admissions cycle, Ohio State will make the submission of ACT or SAT test scores optional for most applicants to the Columbus campus for the 2021 spring, summer or autumn semesters. This decision underscores Ohio State’s commitment to reducing barriers for students who plan to apply to Ohio State but are unable to access an ACT or SAT testing date.
Applicants are encouraged to take the ACT or SAT and submit test scores if they are available, as we believe that standardized test scores provide useful information about a student’s potential for success at Ohio State.
Applicants who have taken the ACT or SAT and feel their scores reflect their abilities should submit them.
Applicants who do not have scores, who had limited opportunities to take the ACT or SAT more than once, or who feel that their scores do not reflect their ability to be successful at Ohio State should select the score waiver option when completing the Common Application.
Applicants will receive full consideration in the admissions process and in review for scholarships, direct enrollment to their college or school, Honors and Scholars Programs, and the Morrill Scholarship Program even if they are unable or choose not to submit a score.
The above policy is fairly representative of what other Colleges / Universities are saying. At the end of this blog is a list of all colleges that have made the test optional for future students.
So should you or should you not take the exam?
Taking the exam is a personal choice that will, of course, require you to think of your safety. The College Board has laid out its health and safety requirements. Whether that’s enough is something only you can decide.
For discussion purposes, let’s ignore the safety aspect. A large number of Universities / Colleges have given you the option to not take / not report your score. So what should you do?
The first thing you should do is look up your top choices and figure out what their testing requirements are for Fall 2021 students.
If you’re required to take it… well that’s easy - you should take it (again, I’m ignoring all safety related issues since that’s a personal decision).
If it’s optional and similar to Ohio State’s policy, then you need to make a decision.
If you’ve never taken the SAT test and don’t want to take the test then you’ll be judged along side a lot of other students based on your credentials. If you feel your credentials are really strong (grades, extracurricular activities, etc) for where you’re applying, then it may make sense to not take the test. After all, why put yourself through the stress if you feel really strongly that you would get in without it.
If you’ve taken the SAT already, you’ll need to make a decision regarding whether to report it or not. If you have a strong score, you should report it. If not, just don’t submit it and, instead, consider retaking it if you feel you can do much better.
What about if you’ve never taken the SAT? Then you should study and take it. It’s a freebie. If you do well, you should submit your score. If you don’t, you just don’t report it. The benefit of taking it (and doing well) is it will give the University a stronger impression of who you are.
I believe the pandemic will forever change how some Universities and Colleges look at testing going forward. I, for one, hope they find better ways to evaluate students because the SAT is not a good measure of anything except of how you do on the SAT.
According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, Three-Fifths of Four-Year Colleges and Universities are Test-Optional for Fall 2021 Admission; This means that almost 1,500 schools are not requiring the SAT / ACT test for 2021 Admission. The following Universities / Colleges have updated their SAT / ACT testing requirements as a result of the pandemic.
Note: The list details the Colleges / Universities who have made the SAT/ACT option for 2021 admissions. This list should be only used for reference purposes. Please check directly on your preferred school’s website regarding update SAT / ACT testing requirements.
Abilene Christian University (for high school class of 2021)
Adelphi University (for high school class of 2021)
Albion College (for high school class of 2021)
Adams State University (for high school class of 2021)
Alfred University (for high school class of 2021)
Alverno College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Amherst College (for high school class of 2021)
Anderson University (Indiana)
Angelo State University (for high school class of 2021)
Appalachian State University (for high school class of 2021)
Aquinas College MI (for high school class of 2021)
Arcadia University
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Babson University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Barnard College (for high school class of 2021)
Barry University
Barton College (for high school class of 2021)
Baruch College (for high school class of 2021)
Baylor University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Bellin College
Belmont University (for high school class of 2021)
Benedictine College KS (for high school class of 2021)
Bentley University (for high school class of 2021)
Berea College (for high school class of 2021
Berry College
Bethel University
Biola University (for high school class of 2021)
Bluffton University (3.0 HSGPA)
Boston College (for high school class of 2021)
Boston University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Bradley University
Bridgewater College (3-year pilot)
Brigham Young University (for high school class of 2021)
Brooklyn College (for high school class of 2021)
Brown University (for high school class of 2021)
Bryn Athyn College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Buena Vista University
Bushnell University
Butler University
Caldwell University (3-year pilot)
California Institute of Technology (2-year Test Blind pilot)
California Lutheran University
California Polytechnic State U., San Luis Obispo (Test Blind for class of 2021 with 2.5)
California State Polytechnic U., Pomona (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Bakersfield (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U. Channel Islands (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U, Chico (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Dominguez Hills (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., East Bay (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U, Fresno (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Fullerton (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Long Beach (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Los Angeles(Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U. Maritime Academy (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Monterey Bay (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Northridge
California State U., Sacramento (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., San Bernardino (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U. San Marcos (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California State U., Stanislaus (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
California University of Pennsylvana
Calvin University (2-year pilot)
Canisius College (for high school class of 2021)
Carlow University (for high school class of 2021)
Carson-Newman University
Carleton College (for high school class of 2021)
Carnegie Mellon University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Carroll University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Castleton University (for high school class of 2021)
Catholic University Test Blind (previously test optional)
Centenary College of Louisiana (for high school class of 2021)
Central College (for high school class of 2021)
Central Michigan University (for high school class of 2021)
Centre College (3-year pilot)
Chestnut Hill College
City College of New York (for high school class of 2021)
Claremont McKenna College (for high school class of 2021)
Clarkson University (for high school class of 2021)
Clemson University (for high school class of 2021)
Coastal Carolina University (for high school class of 2021 with 3.5 GPAs)
Coe College (for high school class of 2021 with 3.0 GPAs)
Colgate University (for high school class of 2021
College of Charleston (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
College of Saint Benedict
College of Staten Island (for high school class of 2021)
College of William & Mary (3-year pilot)
College of Wooster
Colorado Mesa University (for high school class of 2021)
Colorado School of Mines (for high school class of 2021)
Colorado State University Fort Collins (for high school class of 2021)
Colorado State University Pueblo (for high school class of 2021)
Columbia University (for high school class of 2021)
Concordia College (Minnesota)
Concordia University Chicago
Concordia University Nebraska (3.0 GPA)
Concordia University Texas (for high school class of 2021)
The Cooper Union (2-year pilot)
Cornell University (for high school class of 2021)
Cornerstone University (for high school class of 2021)
Cottey College for high school class of 2021 applicants with GPAs of 2.6 or better)
Dartmouth College (for high school class of 2021)
Davidson College (3-year pilot)
Dickinson University (all majors for high school class of 2021)
Dominican University (for high school class of 2021)
Drexel University (for high school class of 2021; otherwise test-flexible)
Drury University
Duke University (for high school class of 2021)
East Carolina University (for high school class of 2021)
Eastern Illinois University (for high school class of 2021 applicants with GPAs of 2.5 or above)
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Washington University
Eckerd College (2-year pilot)
Elizabeth City State University (for high school class of 2021)
Elizabethtown College (for high school class of 2021; previously required GPA minimum)
Elmhurst University (for high school class of 2021)
Elon University (3-year pilot)
Emory University (for high school class of 2021)
Emory & Henry College (for high school class of 2021)
Farmingdale State College SUNY (for high school class of 2021)
Florida Southern College (for high school class of 2021)
Fordham University (2-year pilot)
Fort Lewis College (for high school class of 2021)
Gannon University (for high school class of 20210)
George Fox University
Georgetown College (for high school class of 2021)
Georgetown University (for high school class of 2021)
Georgian Court University
Gonzaga University (for high school class of 2021)
Goshen College (for high school class of 2021)
Grace College and Seminary
Grand Valley State University (for high school class of 2021)
Greenville University
Grinnell College (for high school class of 2021)
Hamilton College (shift from test-flexible to ACT/SAT optional for class of 2021)
Hampden-Sydney College (for high school class of 2021)
Harvard College (for high school class of 2021)
Harvey Mudd College (2-year pilot)
Hastings College (for high school class of 2021)
Haverford College (3-year pilot)
Hawai’i Pacific University (3-year pilot)
Heidelberg University
Hollins University (for high school class of 2021)
Hope College (for high school class of 2021)
Holy Names University (for high school class of 2021)
Humboldt State U. (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
Hunter College (for high school class of 2021)
Husson University
Illinois Institute of Technology (for high school class of 2021)
Illinois State University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Indiana Tech
Indiana University South Bend
Indiana Wesleyan University
Iowa State University ((for high school class of 2021)
John Carroll University (for high school class of 2021)
John Jay College of Criminal Justice (for high school class of 2021)
Johns Hopkins University (for high school class of 2021)
Kent State University (for high school class of 2021)
Kettering University (two-year pilot)
Kenyon College (for high school class of 2021)
Lafayette College (for high school class of 2021)
Lehigh University (for high school class of 2021)
Lehman College (for high school class of 2021)
Lake Superior State University
Lamar University
Lawrence Technological University (for high school class of 2021)
Lewis University (for high school class of 2021)
Lincoln Memorial University (for high school class of 2021)
List College of Jewish Studies (for high school class of 2021]
Lipscomb University (for high school class of 2021)
Lock Haven University of PA (for high school class of 2021 applying for most programs)
Longwood University (for high school class of 2021)
Loras College (for applicants with high school GPAs of 2.75 or above)
Loyola Marymount University (for high school class of 2021)
Loyola University New Orleans -- “Test Blind”
Luther College (for high school class of 2021)
Lyon College
Macalester College
Manhattan College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Manor College
Marietta College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Martin Methodist College (for high school of 2021)
Mary Baldwin University
Marymount Manhattan College (for high school class of 2021)
Marymount University (removed minimum GPA requirement for eligibility)
Marywood University (for high school class of 2021)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (for high school class of 2021)
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (for high school class of 2021)
McMurry University
Mercer University (3-year pilot)
Meredith College (for high school class of 2021)
Methodist University
Metropolitan State University (for high school class of 2021)
Miami University (for high school class of 2021)
Michigan State University (for high school class of 2021)
Michigan Technological University (for high school class of 2021 with 3.0 GPAs)
Middlebury College (3-year pilot, previously test-flexible)
Millikin University (for high school class of 2021 with 3.0 GPA)
Millsaps College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Misericordia University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Missouri State University (for high school class of 2021 with 3.25 GPA)
Missouri University of Science and Technology (for high school class of 2021)
Missouri Western State University (2.7 GPA)
Monmouth University (for high school class of 2021)
Montana State University (for high school class of 2021 with GPA requirements)
Mount Mercy University (for high school class of 2021 with 3.0 GPAs)
Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles (for high school class of 2021)
Mount Vernon Nazarene University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Murray State University (for high school class of 2021 applicants with 3.0 GPAs)
Neumann University (2.5 GPA)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (for high school class of 2021 in most programs)
New York Institute of Technology (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
New York University (for high school class of 2021 – previously test-flexible)
North Carolina A&T State University (for high school class of 2021)
North Carolina Central University (for high school class of 2021)
North Carolina State University (for high school class of 2021)
North Dakota State University (for high school class of 2021)
North Park University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Northeastern University (for high school class of 2021)
Northern Michigan University (test blind for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Northwestern University (for high school class of 2021)
Oakland University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Occidental College (for high school class of 2021)
Oberlin College (3-year pilot)
Oglethorpe University (3-year pilot)
Ohio Northern University (for high school class of 2021)
Ohio State University (for high school class of 2021)
Ohio University
Oklahoma State University – Stillwater (for high school class of 2021, previously required GPA)
Olin College of Engineering (for high school class of 2021)
Otterbein University (for high school class of 2021 applicants with 2.75 GPA)
Ouachita Baptist University (for high school class of 2021)
Pacific University (for high school class of 2021)
Pennsylvania State University (for high school class of 2021)
Point Loma Nazarene University (for high school class of 2021)
Pomona College (for high school class of 2021)
Portland State University
Princeton University (for high school class of 2021)
Principia College (for high school class of 2021)
Purdue University Northwest (for high school class of 2021)
Queens College (for high school class of 2021)
Randolph College (for applicants with 3.0 GPA)
Randolph-Macon College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Reed College (2-year test blind pilot]
Regis University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Rice University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Rivier University (test requirement removed from nursing program)
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rhodes College (3-year pilot)
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (for high school class of 2021)
Rowan University (removed minimum GPA requirement for high school class of 2021)
Rutgers University – Camden (for high school class of 2021)
Rutgers University – Newark (for high school class of 2021)
Rutgers University – New Brunswick (for high school class of 2021)
St. Ambrose University
St. Catherine University
St. Edwards University (Texas)
St. John Fisher College (2-year pilot)
Saint John’s University (Minnesota)
St. Joseph’s College (New York) (for high school class of 2021)
St. Louis University (3-year pilot)
Saint Martin’s University
Saint Mary’s University San Antonio (for high school class of 2021)
St. Norbert College (for high school class of 2021)
St. Olaf College
Saint Xavier University (test-blind for high school class of 2021 except Nursing program)
Salem College
Samford University (for high school class of 2021)
San Diego State University (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
San Francisco State University (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
San José State University (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
Santa Clara University (2-year pilot)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Scripps College
Seton Hall University (for high school class of 2021)
Sierra Nevada University (for high school class of 2021)
Simmons University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Soka University of America (for high school class of 2021)
Sonoma State University (Test Blind for high school class of 2021 with 2.5 GPA)
Southern Methodist University (for high school class of 2021)
Spartanburg Methodist College
Stanford University (for high school class of 2021)
Stephen F. Austin State Univ. (removed class rank requirement for high school class of 2021)
Stevens Institute of Technology (for high school class of 2021)
Stevenson University (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Albany (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Binghamton (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Brockport (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Buffalo (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Buffalo State ((for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Cobleskill (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY College of Technology Alfred (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY College of Technology Canton (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Cortland (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Fredonia (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Geneseo (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
SUNY Maritime College (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Morrisville (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY New Paltz (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Old Westbury (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Oneonta (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Oswego (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Plattsburg (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Polytechnic Institute (for high school class of 2021)
SUNY Stony Brook (for high school class of 2021)
Syracuse University (for high school class of 2021)
Texas A&M University–College Station (for high school class of 2021)
Texas A&M University – Kingsville (for high school class of 2021)
Texas Christian University (for high school class of 2021)
Texas Tech University (for high school class of 2021 – previously optional only for top 10%)
Texas Lutheran University (for high school class of 2021)
The College of New Jersey (3-year pilot)
Thiel College (for high school class of 2021)
Thomas Jefferson University
Towson University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Trinity Christian College (for high school class of 2021)
Trinity University (3-year pilot)
Tufts University (3-year pilot)
Tulane University (for high school class of 2021)
University of Akron (for high school class of 2021)
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (for high school class of 2021)
University of Arkansas (“test flexible” for high school class of 2021)
University of California Berkeley (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California Davis (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California Irvine (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California Los Angeles (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California Merced (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California Riverside (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California San Diego (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California Santa Barbara (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of California Santa Cruz (for high school class of 2021 and 2022, then test blind)
University of Central Arkansas (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Central Missouri (for most applicants with high school GPAs of 3.5 or above)
University of Cincinnati (2-year pilot)
University of Colorado - Boulder (for high school class of 2021)
University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (for high school class of 2021)
University of Colorado – Denver (for high school class of 2021)
University of Connecticut (3-year pilot)
University of Dallas (for high school class of 2021)
University of Dayton
University of Delaware (for all applicants in high school class of 2021, previously in-state only)
University of Dubuque
University of Hawaii (for high school class of 2021)
University of Illinois – Chicago (for high school class of 2021)
University of Illinois – Springfield (for high school class of 2021)
University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Iowa (for high school class of 2021)
University of Indianapolis (2-year pilot)
University of Kentucky (for high school class of 2021)
University of Louisville (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Lynchburg (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Maine System (most programs)
University of Maryland Baltimore County (for high school class of 2021)
University of Maryland College Park (for high school class of 2021)
University of Massachusetts – Amherst (for high school class of 2021)
University of Memphis (for high school class of 2021)
University of Miami (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (for high school class of 2021)
University of Michigan - Dearborn (for high school class of 2021)
University of Minnesota – Duluth (for high school class of 2021)
University of Minnesota - Rochester
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Missouri (for high school class of 2021)
University of Missouri – St. Louis (for high school class of 2021)
University of Montana (for high school class of 2021 with GPA requirements)
University of New Mexico
University of North Alabama (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Carolina -- Asheville (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Carolina -- Charlotte (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Carolina -- Greensboro (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Carolina -- Pembroke (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Carolina -- Wilmington (for high school class of 2021)
University of North Dakota (for high school class of 2021)
University of Northern Colorado (for high school class of 2021)
University of Northern Iowa (for high school class of 2021)
University of Notre Dame (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Oklahoma (for high school class of 2021)
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania (for high school class of 2021)
University of Pittsburgh (for high school class of 2021 except for School of Nursing applicants)
University of Portland (for high school class of 2021)
University of Richmond (for high school class of 2021)
University of Rhode Island (for high school class of 2021)
University of Saint Joseph (removed all test-optional restrictions)
University of San Diego
University of St. Francis (for high school class of 2021)
University of South Carolina (for high school class of 2021)
University of Southern California (for high school class of 2021)
University of Southern Indiana
University of Tampa (for high school class of 2021)
University of Tennessee – Knoxville (for high school class of 2021)
University of Tennessee - Martin (for high school class of 2021)
University of Texas-Austin (removed class rank requirement for high school class of 2021)
University of Texas-Tyler ((removed class rank requirement for high school class of 2021)
University of the Cumberlands
University of the Incarnate Word (for high school class of 2021)
University of Tulsa
University of Utah (two-year pilot)
University of Washington Bothell (for high school class of 2021)
University of Washington Seattle
University of Washington Tacoma (for high school class of 2021)
University of Vermont (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Virginia (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
University of Virginia—Wise (for high school class of 2021)
University of Wisconsin System (for high school class of 2021)
Ursuline College
Valley City State University (for high school class of 2021)
Valparaiso University (2-year pilot)
Vanderbilt University (for high school class of 2021)
VanderCook College of Music (for high school class of 2021)
Vassar College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Villanova University (for high school class of 2021)
Virginia Military Institute (for high school class of 2021)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute (for high school class of 2021)
Wabash University (for high school class of 2021)
Warner Pacific University (for high school class of 2021)
Wartburg College (for high school class of 2021)
Washington and Lee University (for high school class of 2021)
Washington University in St. Louis (for high school class of 2021)
Wayne State University (for high school class of 2021)
Webster University
Webb Institute (for high school class of 2021)
Wellesley College (for high school class of 2021)
West Chester University of Pennsylvania (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
West Virginia University (for high school class of 2021)
West Virginia Wesleyan College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Western Carolina University (for high school class of 2021)
Western Colorado University (for high school class of 2021)
Western Michigan University (for high school class of 2021)
Western Washington University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Wheaton College IL (for high school class of 2021)
Widener University (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Wilkes University (for high school class of 2021)
William Woods University
Williams College (for high school class of 2021, then will review)
Winston-Salem State University (for high school class of 2021)
Wright State University (2-year pilot)
Yale University (for high school class of 2021)
York College (for high school class of 2021)
York College of Pennsylvania (for high school class of 2021)