Columbia University has recently announced they will remain permanently test optional! This is great news for the high school class of 2024 as they approach college admissions. In addition, all highly selective universities (with the exception of MIT) including The Ivy League, Stanford, Northwestern, and Boston University, all have announced that they will remain test optional through the high school class of 2024. We expect other highly selective institutions to follow suit, but it’s always best to check with the individual colleges. Test Optional is here to stay and we couldn’t be more thrilled!
At The College Curators, we recommend that high school students in the class of 2024 still consider taking the ACT or SAT, but whether or not they submit their scores should depend on test availability and personal performance. Our advice is that: 1. Students should not sacrifice their mental or physical health to take a test; 2. If your test score does not fall within the upper 50% range of your desired school OR it doesn’t reflect your academic school performance, you have the option not to submit; 3. Remember, if you decide not to submit your test score, everything else will matter more in the admissions process.Rigor and grades continue to matter the most supported by a compelling story.
We are encouraged by the number of schools that already have announced a test optional policy through high school class of 2024 and beyond. Combined with the schools that have been traditionally (and permanently) test optional, there are many test optional choices for the high school class of 2024.
At The College Curators, we have successfully advised 100s of students on navigating the test optional environment. We expertly guide our students to build a balanced college list supported by an authentic and verifiable application.
To set up a complimentary consultation click HERE.
List of SAT and ACT Test Optional Colleges for fall 2024 Admissions cycle:
**updated as of 1/10/23**
Allegheny College*
American University*
Amherst
Bard College*
Barnard College
Bates College*
Baylor University
Bennington College*
Binghamton University
Boston University
Boston College
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University*
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College*
Bucknell University*
California Institute of Technology
Cal State System (Test Blind)
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Clark University*
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College*
Colgate University
Colorado College*
Columbia University*
College of Charleston
Connecticut College*
Cornell University
Davidson College
Denison University*
DePaul University
Dickinson College*
Drexel University
Earlham College*
Elon University
Emerson College
Franklin and Marshall College*
Furman University*
George Washington University*
Gettysburg College*
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd
Haverford College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges*
Indiana University – Bloomington
Johns Hopkins University
Knox College*
Lafayette College
Lawrence University*
Lehigh University
Lewis and Clark College*
Loyola Marymount University
Macalester College*
Marquette University
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College*
Muhlenberg College*
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Occidental College
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Princeton University
Providence College
Pomona College
Rutgers University
Santa Clara University
Sewanee – The University of the South
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Temple University
Texas Christian University
Tufts University (3-year pilot)
University of California System (all campuses test blind)
University of Chicago*
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas at Austin
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Yale University
*Colleges with Permanently Test Optional Policy
**Go to fairtest.org for complete list
