The Volume of Applications Remains High

Through February 1 of this cycle, 1,401,214 distinct first-year applicants submitted 9,188,630 total applications across 913 Common App institutions. Applicants rose 2% year over year. Total applications rose 5%. Applications per applicant increased from 6.37 to 6.56.

In this environment, small differentiators matter.

When nearly 1.4 million students are competing across highly selective institutions, admissions offices look for reliable academic signals.

Testing is one of them.

Early Participation Is Massive

Early participation continues to expand.

Early Action applications totaled 3,435,647, up 7% year over year. Early Decision applications totaled 225,897, up 2%. Roughly 65% of applicants submitted at least one early application.

Two out of three students are entering early rounds.

And in those early rounds, selectivity remains tight:

• MIT: 655 admitted from 11,883 early applicants. Admit rate 5.51%
  
• Yale: 779 admitted from 7,140 early applicants. Admit rate 10.9%.
  
• Brown: 890 admitted from 5,406 Early Decision applicants. Admit rate 16.46%, down from 17.95% last year.
  
• Vanderbilt: Early Decision admit rate 11.9%, down 1.3 points while ED applications increased 14.3%.
  
• USC: roughly 3,800 admitted from more than 40,000 early applicants. Admit rate 9.5%.
  
• UVA: 7,151 admitted from approximately 57,500 early applicants. Admit rate 12.4%.
  
  

In pools this competitive, admissions committees are not eliminating testing from their evaluation. They are using it carefully and strategically.

Score Submission Is Increasing

The most telling data point in this cycle is not about who requires testing. It is about who is submitting it.

Applicants reporting test scores increased 11% year over year. Applicants not reporting scores declined 5%.

That shift is not accidental.

Students and families are responding to signals from colleges.

More institutions have reinstated test requirements. Others have moved toward test-preferred language. Even at schools that remain test optional, a significant share of admitted students are submitting scores.

The direction is clear. Testing is not disappearing. It is being recalibrated.

Policy Changes Are Spreading

Several highly selective institutions have reinstated standardized testing requirements for recent or upcoming cycles. Others have announced partial returns or program-specific requirements.

In addition, federal data collection through IPEDS now includes more explicit reporting fields for early decision and early action applicants, admits, and enrollees. That increased transparency will make it easier to analyze early testing patterns in future cycles.

Colleges are not retreating from data. They are refining how they use it.

Why Testing Matters More in a Crowded Field

When application volume increases, academic comparison becomes more difficult.

Colleges evaluate students from thousands of high schools with different grading systems, course offerings, and rigor standards.

Transcripts remain the most important academic indicator. But testing provides an additional standardized data point.

As more students submit scores, the absence of a score can limit flexibility at certain institutions.

This does not mean every student must submit testing everywhere.

It does mean that students who cannot produce competitive scores will face strategic constraints, particularly at highly selective institutions.

When early admit rates range from 5% to 16%, every credible academic signal matters.

The Strategic Implications for Families

8th and 9th Grade

Build strong math and reading foundations early. Testing success is cumulative. Students who struggle in Algebra II or advanced reading comprehension will find recovery difficult in 11th grade.

10th Grade

Plan diagnostic testing thoughtfully. Compare SAT and ACT performance. Identify strengths early enough to improve.

11th Grade

Approach testing as preparation, not as a checkbox. Strong scores open options. Weak or absent scores narrow them.

Families should not assume that “test optional” guarantees flexibility. At many highly selective schools, the competitive landscape suggests otherwise.

The Real Takeaway

The test-optional era created confusion. Headlines suggested that testing was fading away.

The Class of 2030 early data suggests something more balanced.

Testing is not the sole driver of admission decisions. It never was.

But score submission is rising. Policies are shifting. And in crowded early pools with single-digit admit rates, competitive scores strengthen positioning.

Students who can produce strong testing results will have more strategic freedom.

Students who cannot will need other elements of their application to carry greater weight.

If your family is targeting highly selective colleges, now is the time to revisit your testing plan.



Old headlines no longer tell the full story.