Harvard and several other U.S. universities return to requiring SAT and ACT.

29 U.S. universities, including many top institutions, now require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their applications, after suspending this requirement during the Covid-19 pandemic. On April 11, Harvard University announced it would require SAT/ACT scores for admissions starting in 2025, joining the group of universities returning to standardized testing. Earlier, in February and March, several Ivy League schools, including Dartmouth, Brown, and Yale, made similar announcements.

The decision to reinstate SAT/ACT requirements was initiated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during the 2022 admissions cycle. According to Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions, the policy aims “to help us continue building a diverse and talented MIT.”

Following MIT’s lead, Georgetown University and the University of Florida implemented the requirement for admissions starting in 2023.

According to Crimson Education, a leading U.S. admissions consulting company, there are now 29 U.S. universities requiring applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores.

Many experts believe that the requirement for standardized test scores exacerbates inequality.

Joshua H. Jaquins, an admissions representative at Drexel University in Pennsylvania, stated that the SAT requires significant financial, time, and effort investment. Students from economically disadvantaged families are at a disadvantage.

However, data from Opportunity Insights, a research team at Harvard University, published in early January, showed that between 2017 and 2022, students at 12 schools that did not require SAT/ACT scores had lower GPAs compared to those who submitted scores. Similarly, a study conducted last year by four professors at Dartmouth College concluded that students with these test scores performed better academically and achieved higher GPAs.

Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Admissions at Yale University, emphasized that standardized test scores are a critical factor in predicting students’ academic potential, more so than any other information in the application.

At the University of Texas at Austin, standardized test scores help determine suitable majors for students. According to President Jay Hartzell, these scores are crucial in assessing whether students can succeed in rigorous programs such as Engineering and Business. Among the more than 9,200 freshmen last year, those who submitted test scores had an average GPA 0.86 points higher than those who did not.

As of now, the number of universities reinstating SAT/ACT requirements remains relatively small. According to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, over 80%—equivalent to at least 1,825 universities—will not require standardized test scores in the upcoming admissions cycle. This includes prominent institutions such as Columbia University and the University of California system.