What Test-Optional Really Means

Test optional means your student can choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If scores are not submitted, colleges will lean more heavily on transcripts, essays, recommendations, and activities.

This is not the same as test blind, where scores are ignored even if submitted. Only a small number of colleges are truly test blind (such as the University of California system). Most colleges are test-optional, which means strong scores can still tip the scale.

The Data on Who Gets In

At almost every test-optional college that shares data, one pattern stands out: students who submit strong test scores are admitted at higher rates than those who don’t. The advantage may be partly because high scorers are also strong applicants in other ways, but the numbers tell a consistent story. When scores are submitted and fall in or above a college’s typical range, they provide a clear admissions boost.

Parents often want the numbers, not just general advice. Here’s what a few colleges report:

• Boston College: Students who submitted test scores were admitted at 28%, compared to 17% for non-submitters.
• University of Virginia: Admit rate was 19% for score submitters, versus 13% for non-submitters.
• Villanova University: Score submitters were admitted at more than double the rate of non-submitters.
• Colgate University: Reported consistently higher admit rates for score submitters across multiple years.
• University of Notre Dame: Shared that strong score submitters were admitted at significantly higher rates than students who withheld.

The pattern is clear. Test optional does not mean test irrelevant.

Selectivity and Test Scores: The Real Divide

How much test scores matter often depends on the level of selectivity. The tougher the admit rate, the more scores can shift the outcome.



• Highly Selective (admit rate under 20%): At these schools, submitting strong scores often makes the difference between an admit and a deny. In these pools, where everyone has top grades and strong activities, scores are one of the few clear tie-breakers.
• Moderately Selective (admit rate 20–40%): Scores still provide a clear boost, but students have more flexibility. A strong application without scores can still be competitive, but top quartile scores help push an applicant into the admit pile.
• Less Selective (admit rate above 50%): At schools where most applicants are admitted, scores may play less of a role in admissions. However, they can still unlock merit aid or honors college invitations. In this category, the benefit is often financial as much as it is admissions-related.

For families, the lesson is simple: the more selective the school, the higher the stakes for scores.

Why Test Scores Still Matter

Admissions officers need ways to compare thousands of applicants from very different schools. Grades can be inflated, course rigor varies, and essays are subjective. SAT and ACT scores offer a common benchmark.

Strong scores also:

• Confirm readiness for competitive majors like engineering, computer science, and business.
• Strengthen an application when a GPA is high but comes from a less rigorous high school.
• Unlock scholarships and honors programs that still rely heavily on test scores.

When Submitting Helps—and When It Doesn’t

The best guide is each college’s middle 50% range (the 25th to 75th percentile of admitted scores).

• Above the 75th percentile: Always submit. These scores give your student a clear edge.
• Within the middle 50%: Usually submit. Scores in range help confirm academic strength.
• Below the 25th percentile: Consider withholding. At this level, scores may hurt more than help.

Example 1: University of Michigan
Middle 50% SAT: 1340–1520. A 1500 makes the application stronger. A 1240 is better left out.

Example 2: Baylor University
Middle 50% SAT: 1210–1390. A 1350 helps. A 1180 might weaken the application.

Example 3: Tulane University
Middle 50% SAT: 1410–1520. A 1500 confirms readiness. A 1350 is better withheld.

Schools That Require Test Scores

While many colleges are test optional, some have reinstated or never dropped test requirements. This matters for families who may be tempted to skip testing altogether. A few examples of these schools:

• MIT: Requires SAT or ACT for all applicants.
• Georgetown University: Requires test scores and has for years.
• University of Florida: Public universities in Florida continue to require the SAT or ACT.
• Purdue University: Recently announced it will once again require test scores.
• Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, and Harvard: Have reinstated testing requirements for upcoming cycles.

For these schools, there is no decision to make—students must submit scores.

Parent Takeaways

• Submitting strong scores increases odds. Colleges admit score submitters at higher rates.
• Know the ranges. Use the middle 50% score band as your guide.
• Plan for scholarships. Many awards still require test scores.
• Check requirements. A growing list of selective universities now mandate testing again.
• Build a flexible strategy. Submit at some colleges, withhold at others, and be ready for schools that require tests outright.

Should your teen apply without scores? The data says that strong scores almost always help. Families should treat this as a college-by-college decision, weighing admission odds, scholarship opportunities, and mandatory requirements.

The strongest strategies come from parents and students who study the data, compare ranges, and make informed choices—rather than relying on headlines.