Why Columbia University’s Return to Requiring SAT and ACT Scores Matters

Hey everyone, it’s Eric at Solution Prep, and we need to talk about why Columbia University is so important right now.

Just a few weeks ago, Columbia announced that they would return to requiring SAT or ACT scores of all applicants starting in the fall of 2027 for the graduating high school class of 2028. And that’s significant for a number of reasons.

Back in 2020: When Most Colleges Went Test-Optional

Back in 2020 when the pandemic hit, most colleges in America went test optional. That means if you have high scores that you’re happy with, you can submit them as part of your application and they will strengthen that application and increase your chance of getting admitted. But if you don’t have scores or don’t have scores that you’re happy with, you can choose not to submit them and that should not hurt your chance of being admitted to a college.

Over the years since then, a trickle of colleges has returned to requiring SAT scores of all applicants — or of applicants for certain majors, for scholarships, or just for placement. It’s been a real patchwork of highly competitive top-tier elite schools, big flagship public colleges, and small private schools. It’s caused a lot of uncertainty among students and parents who are on this journey.

Columbia’s “Permanent” Test-Optional Policy That Didn’t Last

To do their part in alleviating some of that uncertainty, three years ago Columbia University announced that their test-optional policy would remain in place permanently— which, in my understanding of the word, means forever.

And yet here we are three years later and they have ended “permanent.” Columbia are back to requiring SAT test scores next year.

That tells us something very important: any college telling you that they are test optional today just means they are going to remain test optional until someone high up makes a different decision. Nothing is permanent.

The Ivy League Now Speaks With One Voice

A second reason why this is important is that Columbia University is part of an athletic conference called the Ivy League. Yes, that’s right: the Ivy League is an athletic conference. I don’t think we should be choosing which college to commit to based on which athletic conference they’re in, especially when there are many other top-tier elite colleges of that academic caliber that just compete in different athletic conferences.

However, of the eight colleges in the Ivy League, Columbia was the last holdout that remained test optional while the other seven had gone back to requiring SAT scores. And now that Columbia is joining them, they are a unified front.

There are some colleges of that caliber (Stanford, Georgetown, MIT, and Johns Hopkins) that have reinstated SAT requirements. But there are other colleges of that caliber (like Emory, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Chicago) that have not.

For years, those other top-tier colleges have been able to consider themselves Ivy-caliber schools and point to the Ivies’ varied testing policy as well. It’s as if they’re saying “you know, some of them require SAT scores and some of them don’t— so just like them, we also make up our minds to do whatever we want.”

However, now that all the Ivies are going to be requiring test scores, those other colleges have to make a choice. They have to go one way or the other. They have to either say, “You know what, we are just like the Ivies and so like the Ivies we will go back to requiring SAT scores from all of our applicants,” or they’re going to have to acknowledge, “You know what, we’re not like the Ivies. We are different and don’t think of us in the same breath as those other very famous schools.”

The Potential Ripple Effect

Now, we have to wait and see what happens. Only time will tell. But if colleges of that caliber decide, “So go they, so go we,” that means there’s going to be a trickle-down effect. Because the other colleges that want to get into that caliber will then have to also say, “Oh, we’re kind of like that too. We’re also going to require SAT scores.” And then the tier below them will, and the tier below them will.

Over the next 5 to 10 years, we could see a massive shift. But we don’t have to wait five or ten years to find this out, because there could be seismic changes just in the next 13 months — between now and August 1st, 2027 Columbia will be instituting their SAT-required change. Once more, all we can do is wait and see.

What Students and Families Should Do Right Now

The most important thing to understand is that if you’re considering a college, it’s important that you look at their website and see what their testing policy is. If it specifies that they will remain test optional through the year when you will be applying to college, okay: they’ve made a commitment at least through then.

But if it just says that they’re test optional with no end date in sight, reach out to them. Ask these questions. Ask if they are considering making a change for your year. And if they say, “Gee, I don’t know. There’s a lot on the table,” or if you see that change coming down the pike, make sure to do the work to get the scores you need to get admitted to the colleges that matter to you.

Don’t just assume that if a college is test optional now, they’ll be test optional forever.

FAQ

If you’re unsure how Columbia’s decision (or the broader testing landscape) affects your student’s college list, our team is here to help. We specialize in SAT Prep and strategic 1-on-1 Tutoring that focuses on real score improvement and smart application planning.

Have questions about whether to retake, when to test, or how to build a strong testing plan? Contact us or call 732-556-8220. We’re here to help you make the smartest decisions for your college goals.