COVID-19 Effects: What Colleges Don’t Require the SAT for 2021

Close-up of student preparing college paperwork without SAT requirement for 2021 admissions – The Red Pen

In mid-March 2020, the WHO classified COVID-19 as a pandemic, leading to school and college closures everywhere. While students are figuring out how to navigate this enforced ‘downtime’, aspiring college students are left wondering how they will appear for their standardised tests in time for college applications. As of now, College Board has cancelled the March and May SAT dates, while the ACT has rescheduled its test dates. With all the uncertainty surrounding the future, students can start looking at applying to colleges that have decided to go test-optional or cancel their standardised test requirements for this admissions cycle. Along with this, there are a whole collection of colleges that have embraced test-optional policies for quite some time.

Below is a list of colleges that have recently announced that they are going test-optional.  

Here is why you should still prepare:

While students cannot be expected to worry about situations beyond their control, it is important to note that these tests are not going away. The College Board is a 120-year-old organisation which has survived two World Wars and other pandemics. Test centres might open up or an online test version might be rolled out soon.

Remember that test-optional doesn’t mean test-exempt, so it is worth still preparing for a standardised test and taking it once centres open. Moreover, submitting a test score simply makes an admissions officer’s life easier, by providing a common benchmark that cuts across curricular and structural differences in education systems across the globe.

NOTE: This list is indicative and students should check with the institution before applying. For a full list, please visit FairTest.

College NameNotes
Amherst CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Babson CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Bates College
Baylor UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Bentley UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020/spring 2021 admissions
Boston CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Boston UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020/spring 2021 admissions
Bowdoin College
Brandeis UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Brown UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Bryant University
Butler UniversityStarting from fall 2020
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)A two-year moratorium starting from fall 2020
California State University systemTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020/winter and spring 2021 admissions
Carleton CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Carnegie Mellon UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Case Western ReserveTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Chapman UniversityStarting from fall 2020
Claremont McKenna CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Clarkson UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Colby College
Colgate UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
College of WoosterStarting from fall 2020
Columbia College or Columbia Engineering at Columbia UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering
Concordia UniversityTemporarily policy: Only for fall 2020 and 2021 admissions
Cornell UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Dartmouth CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Davidson CollegeThree-year period starting from fall 2020
Dickinson CollegeTemporary test-blind policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Drury UniversityStarting from fall 2020
Duke UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Emory UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)Temporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Georgetown UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Gonzaga UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Hamilton CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Harvard College at Harvard UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Haverford CollegeThree-year period starting from fall 2020
Hofstra University
Indiana UniversityStarting from fall 2020
Johns Hopkins UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Kenyon CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Limestone UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Macalester CollegeStarting from fall 2020
Mansfield UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Only SAT Subject Tests not required
Middlebury CollegeThree-year period starting from fall 2020
Millersville UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Mount Holyoke College
Newberry CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Northeastern UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Northwestern UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Oberlin CollegeThree-year pilot starting from fall 2020
Oregon State UniversityStarting from fall 2020
Penn State UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Pepperdine UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Pomona CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Princeton UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Rhodes CollegeThree-year period starting from fall 2020
Rice UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Rutgers University – New BrunswickTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Santa Clara UniversityTwo-year period starting from 2020
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps CollegeStarting from fall 2020
St Thomas Aquinas CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Saint Louis UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Stanford UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Swarthmore CollegeTwo-year period starting from fall 2020
Texas Christian UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
The George Washington University
Trinity UniversityThree-year period starting from fall 2020
Tufts UniversityThree-year period starting from fall 2020
Tulane UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of California (UCs)Temporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of Chicago
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillThree-year policy: Either meet GPA or SAT/ACT revised requirements
University of Notre DameOne-year pilot programme starting from fall 2020
University of OregonStarting from fall 2020
University of PennsylvaniaTemporary policy: Only SAT Subject Tests not required for fall 2020
University of RichmondTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of Rochester
University of Southern California (USC)Temporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of Texas at AustinTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of the CumberlandsTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of ToledoPilot programme starting from fall 2020
University of VirginiaTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of VermontTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
University of WashingtonTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Vanderbilt UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Vassar CollegePilot programme starting from fall 2020
Villanova UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)Temporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Wake Forest University
Washington & LeeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Washington University St LouisTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Wesleyan University
Wellesley CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Westminster CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
William & MaryThree-year pilot programme starting from fall 2020
Williams CollegeTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions
Yale UniversityTemporary policy: Only for fall 2020 admissions

If you require further assistance when making your college list, please get in touch with us.

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