ACT & SAT Submit Rates - Class of 2026

In response to the Covid pandemic, several colleges adopted test-optional policies. These policies allowed students to apply to college without worrying about having to risk illness in order to take a standardized test. These policies were expected to disappear when the pandemic ended.

However, as we stand on the other side of the pandemic, some colleges, even some of the most competitive colleges, have made these test-optional policies permanent. The benefit to these policies are that they allow students to decide whether or not they want to submit test scores as part of their application. The downside to these policies are that they take away a quantifiable metric away from the admissions process. 

We have said this before and we will continue to emphasize the point that your student should take the test, and they should submit their scores as part of the application. All other things equal, your student’s test score may give them just the advantage they need to secure their spot in a competitive college. If your student’s test score is good, that can only improve their chances of admission. 

Below, we have evidence from the Common Data Set 2022-23 that show that, at most competitive colleges, the majority of students applying are submitting test scores.

If your student would benefit from help preparing for their tests, including practice tests and one-on-one tutoring sessions, reach out to Ivy Link to get started!

College	Score Submit Rates By Accepted Students	Additional Data On Test Submission Rates
Amherst	40% submitted SAT 21% submitted ACT	Data not available
Barnard	33% submitted SAT 21% submitted ACT	Admits submitting test scores: 53% Applicants submitting test scores: 42%
Boston University	23% submitted SAT 12% submitted ACT	Applicants submitting test scores: 54%
Bowdoin	58% submitted SAT 30% submitted ACT	Enrolled students submitting test scores: 54%
Brown	54% submitted SAT 27% submitted ACT	Data not available
Columbia	45% submitted SAT 24% submitted ACT	Data not available
Cornell	43% submitted SAT 17% submitted ACT	Enrolled students submitting test scores: 48.9%
Dartmouth	Data not available	Data not available
Duke	Data not available	Data not available
Emory	41% submitted SAT 23% submitted ACT	Admits submitting test scores: 69%
Harvard	55% submitted SAT 28% submitted ACT	Data not available
Middlebury	31% submitted SAT 18% submitted ACT	Applicants submitting test scores: over 50%
Northwestern	47% submitted SAT 31% submitted ACT	Data not available
Panoma	35% submitted SAT 18% submitted ACT	Applicants submitting test scores: 55%
Princeton	60% admitted SAT 25% admitted ACT	Data not available
Stanford	49% submitted SAT 23% submitted ACT	Data not available
Swarthmore	42% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT	Data not available
Tufts	37% submitted SAT 19% submitted ACT	Admits submitting test scores: Just under 60% Applicant submitting test scores: 50%
University of Michigan	54% submitted SAT 24% submitted ACT	Data not available
University of Notre Dame	54% submitted SAT 46% submitted ACT	Admits submitting test scores: 67% Applicants submitting test scores: 50%
University of Pennsylvania	48% submitted SAT 23% submitted ACT	Data not available
University of Southern California	34% submitted SAT 16% submitted ACT	Admits submitting test scores: Approximately 50%
University of Virginia	Data not available	Data not available
Vanderbuilt	29% submitted SAT 32% submitted ACT	Data not available
Wesleyan	52% submitted SAT 24% submitted ACT	Admits submitting test scores: 60%
Williams	41% submitted SAT 21% submitted ACT	Data not available
Yale	59% submitted SAT 29% submitted ACT	Data not available