Columbia Completes Ivy League Return to Testing: SAT/ACT Required Starting 2027

Columbia University will once again require SAT or ACT scores from undergraduate applicants beginning August 2027, completing the Ivy League's full return to standardized testing requirements after the pandemic-era test-optional period. The private New York institution announced the policy change on June 15, 2026, according to Higher Ed Dive, marking the final Ivy League school to reinstate testing mandates.

The End of an Era

The announcement means that for the 2027-2028 admissions cycle, all eight Ivy League institutions will require standardized test scores—a dramatic reversal from just a few years ago when most had adopted test-optional policies. Columbia's decision follows similar moves by Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania, which had already announced returns to testing requirements for the 2026-2027 cycle. Princeton remains test-optional through the 2026-2027 cycle but will likely follow suit.

Timing and Implications

Columbia will remain test-optional through the upcoming 2026-2027 admissions cycle, giving current high school juniors one final year to apply without submitting scores. The university quietly updated its application guidance on June 8, 2026, before making the formal announcement. This development signals a definitive end to the widespread test-optional movement that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and suggests that elite institutions are returning to pre-pandemic admissions standards.

According to Oriel Admissions, six of the eight Ivy League schools already require SAT or ACT scores for students applying in the 2026-27 admissions cycle, with Columbia's announcement completing the circle for the following year.