Columbia Becomes Last Ivy to Embrace Standardized Tests Again

Columbia University will once again require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores to be admitted starting in 2027, according to a university statement, after a faculty review determined they were “a useful indicator of potential student success.”

The move makes New York-based Columbia the last Ivy League school to abandon test-optional policies largely adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last month, Yale eliminated its test-flexible policy, under which students could replace the SAT or ACT with Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores.

In early 2024, a slew of elite schools, including Dartmouth University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and ...