Columbia Becomes Final Ivy League School to Reinstate SAT/ACT Requirement for 2027-28

Columbia University announced in June 2026 that it will reinstate standardized testing requirements for undergraduate applicants, becoming the last of the eight Ivy League schools to end its test-optional policy (Higher Ed Dive, June 2026). The change will take effect for applicants in August 2027, while the 2026-27 admissions cycle will remain test-optional.

This decision completes a sweeping reversal across elite higher education that began during the 2025-26 admissions cycle. According to admissions consultants and higher education analysts, all eight Ivy League institutions have now reinstated SAT or ACT requirements, though implementation timelines vary by school (Oriel Admissions, July 2026). Columbia's announcement followed similar moves by peer institutions including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, which had already announced their returns to test-required policies.

The shift represents a significant policy change for families targeting highly selective universities. While Columbia will maintain test-optional status for one final cycle, the clear message is that standardized testing has returned as a fundamental component of elite college applications. This development comes alongside other selective institutions like Ohio State University reinstating testing requirements for their Columbus campus beginning with the 2026 admissions cycle (Ohio State University news, March 2025).

Admissions experts note that the Ivy League's collective return to testing requirements establishes a new norm for competitive applicants, who must now prepare for and submit scores as part of comprehensive application strategies. The bifurcated landscape described in earlier years—with some elite schools test-optional and others test-required—has now resolved decisively in favor of required testing at the most selective tier of American higher education.