For a few years, "test-optional" made it easy to assume the ACT no longer mattered. That assumption is now out of date — and families who plan around the old story can get caught off guard.
At selective colleges, the requirement is coming back. Here's what's actually happening, without the hype.
The reversal is real — and nearly complete at the top A wave of highly selective universities has reinstated the ACT/SAT requirement after internal research found scores to be strong predictors of first-year success. A quick timeline of the major moves: - MIT reinstated first, back in 2022. - Dartmouth became the first Ivy to return, announcing in February 2024. - Harvard, Yale, Brown, Cornell, and Penn followed across 2024 and early 2025. - Caltech, Stanford, Georgetown, and the University of Texas at Austin are all requiring scores again. - Princeton announced a return beginning with the 2027-28 cycle. - Columbia — the last Ivy still test-optional — announced in June 2026 that it will require scores starting with the 2027-28 admission cycle.
With Columbia's move, all eight Ivy League schools will require testing for students entering in fall 2028. Several public flagships — including LSU, Auburn, and the University of Alabama — are phasing requirements back in as well.
But "over" is too strong — here's the nuance This is a selective-school trend, not a universal one. Many excellent universities remain genuinely test-optional. So the honest picture is: if your student is aiming at highly selective schools, plan to test. If they're aiming elsewhere, testing is often optional — but read the next point carefully, because "optional" hides something important.
Even at test-optional schools, scores usually still matter for money. Merit scholarships and honors programs frequently use ACT/SAT scores to award aid — even when admission doesn't require them. A strong score can mean the difference between paying sticker price and earning thousands in scholarships. "Test-optional" for admission is rarely "test-optional" for funding.
What colleges are actually saying The schools reinstating requirements point to their own data: scores help them identify students who will thrive — including talented students from under-resourced schools who might be overlooked in a test-optional pool. In other words, a strong ACT isn't a gatekeeper working against your student; it's a chance for them to show what they can do.
What this means for your family - If selective schools are on the list, treat the ACT as required and plan early. - If they're not, still consider testing — because scholarships often hinge on it. - Either way, a strong score only ever helps. There's no version of this where preparing well hurts your student.
A great ACT score was never really optional. It was always an opportunity.
Admissions policies change often. Confirm each target school's current testing policy on its official admissions page before finalizing your student's plan.