As a result of the coronavirus crisis, both the SAT and the ACT have been forced to cancel in-person standardized tests until further notice. This has prompted many colleges and universities — including esteemed Ivy League institutions — to change their standardized testing requirements for the 2020-21 admissions cycle.
If you’re interested in applying to one of the Ivies, here’s what you need to know about the schools’ updated standardized testing policies.
The most recent of the Ivies to go test-optional! While Brown will still allow prospective students to submit standardized test scores if they have them, for first-year college applicants to the class of 2025, Brown is now test optional. Learn more here.
Columbia will not require applicants to provide their SAT/ACT Test scores (yay!), though like Brown, students still have the option to submit any standardized scores they do have. The university’s application requirements can be found here.
Cornell was the first Ivy League institution to waive all standardized testing requirements for the 2020-21 admissions cycle. Instead, the university will place more emphasis on other application materials like transcripts, extracurriculars, recommendation letters, and — you guessed it — the college admissions essay!
Dartmouth has also joined the ranks of schools going test-optional for the class of 2025! If you plan on applying to Dartmouth, you will no longer need to submit any standardized testing scores. More information about the change can be found on the Dartmouth Dean of Admissions’ blog.
Harvard recently announced similar policies regarding standardized testing: “Harvard College will allow students to apply for admission to the Class of 2025 without requiring standardized test scores. We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has created insurmountable challenges in scheduling tests for all students, particularly those from modest economic backgrounds, and we believe this temporary change addresses these challenges,” the university wrote. Read the full statement here.
“In response to COVID-19, Penn will not require applicants to submit the SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject Tests for the 2020-21 application cycle,” UPenn wrote in a statement on its website.
Calling all aspiring Tigers: we have great news! Princeton will no longer require applicants to submit their standardized test scores. The university wrote that students “who sit for a standardized test and wish to submit their score will still have the option to do so. However, because of the change to policy this year, applications without test scores will be considered complete.”
“In response to the widespread disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions will temporarily suspend its requirement that first-year applicants submit results from the ACT or SAT,” the university reported. This means that Yale applicants who do not have exam scores to report will still be fully considered in the selection process!
