August 2026: Selective Colleges Shift on Essays and Testing

The landscape for applicants to selective colleges is shifting in two significant, opposing directions as the 2026-27 application season begins. According to recent reports, some institutions are simplifying their applications by dropping supplemental essay requirements, while a contingent of other highly-selective schools is moving back toward requiring standardized test scores.

A Move Toward Simpler Applications Citing a desire to reduce applicant burden, a number of selective schools are eliminating school-specific supplemental essays from their applications this cycle. As noted in a Washington Post analysis from August 3, 2026, this is one of several key ways "college admissions season is changing this year" [3]. The trend, also highlighted on social media, suggests some admissions offices are prioritizing accessibility and volume over additional written materials [6]. The specific institutions implementing this change are not fully enumerated in the available reports, leaving the full scope of the policy shift unclear.

A Countervailing Return to Testing Simultaneously, a separate and consequential trend is the reinstatement of ACT or SAT requirements at "more top schools," as reported by the same Washington Post analysis [3]. This marks a notable reversal from the test-optional policies that became widespread during the pandemic. The Post notes this shift is happening specifically among "selective schools" [3, 6]. While the exact list of colleges reverting to mandatory testing is not detailed in the search results, the development signals a renewed emphasis on standardized metrics in the evaluation process at some elite institutions.

These dual developments create a more complex and varied landscape for students targeting highly-selective universities. Applicants must now carefully research the specific requirements of each target school, as policies on two major application components are diverging. The overall competitive pressure remains intense, with application numbers high and acceptance rates at the most selective schools continuing to be extremely low [7, 4].