Columbia Completes Ivy League Return to Testing, Sets 2027-28 Requirement

Columbia University has become the final Ivy League institution to announce a return to mandatory standardized testing, completing a sweeping reversal of pandemic-era test-optional policies across America's most selective universities. The university will require SAT or ACT scores from undergraduate applicants beginning in August 2027 for the 2027-2028 admissions cycle, according to a June 2026 announcement reported by Forbes and the Columbia Spectator.

Columbia's decision means that for the first time since COVID-19 prompted widespread test-optional policies, all eight Ivy League schools will require standardized test scores for admission. The university will remain test-optional for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle before implementing the new requirement. This move follows similar reinstatements by Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, Brown, and other Ivies over the past two years.

The policy shift represents a significant milestone in what admissions experts are calling "the great testing reversal." As reported by Forbes, Columbia's announcement came just weeks after other elite institutions solidified their return to testing requirements. The decision aligns with research from several Ivies suggesting that standardized test scores, when considered in context, can help identify high-achieving students from under-resourced backgrounds who might otherwise be overlooked in holistic reviews.

For families targeting elite universities, this development underscores the renewed importance of standardized testing in the admissions landscape. With Columbia's announcement, the Ivy League has completed its full-circle return to pre-pandemic testing norms, though implementation timelines vary by institution.