The SAT and ACT Debate: What UK Students Need to Know About US College Admissions

After years of moving away from compulsory standardised testing, some of America's leading colleges are bringing it back. Harvard, Yale, MIT and Stanford are among the schools that have reinstated SAT and ACT requirements, raising questions about the role these tests should play in university admissions. For British applicants, these changing policies raise important questions about whether they will need to take the SAT or ACT, how these tests fit alongside A-Levels, and what role their scores play in admissions decisions.

These developments have renewed a longstanding debate about what standardised tests can tell admissions officers about an applicant's academic ability and potential. Supporters argue that they provide valuable information beyond school grades, while critics question their fairness and the extent to which scores reflect differences in educational opportunity. Understanding these competing arguments and why leading schools have reached different conclusions can help applicants navigate a complex and nuanced admissions process.

What Are the SAT and ACT?

The SAT and ACT are standardised college admissions tests rather than school qualifications. The digital SAT lasts 2 hours and 14 minutes, covering Reading and Writing, and Mathematics. Scores range from 400 to 1600. The exam is adaptive, meaning that performance in the first module of a section influences the difficulty of the second. The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with the composite score based on English, Mathematics and Reading; Science and Writing are optional components of the test, although applicants should check individual colleges’ requirements. Most colleges that accept both tests generally treat them equally.

Unlike the GCSEs, A-Levels or the IB, which assess students' knowledge and achievement within their respective curricula, the SAT and ACT provide an additional standardised measure of academic performance. They offer admissions officers a common measure when comparing applicants educated across different schools and educational systems.

For British students, the distinction is particularly important: the SAT and ACT do not replace GCSEs or A-Levels. Where required, SAT or ACT scores are submitted alongside school qualifications, rather than replacing them. Stanford, for example, requires applicants following the British education system to submit GCSE results and predicted A-Level grades alongside SAT or ACT scores. Harvard also requires standardised testing, although it allows alternative qualifications, including GCSEs and A-Levels, in exceptional circumstances where applicants cannot access either exam.

How Have Testing Policies Changed?

First introduced in 1926, the SAT has been the subject of longstanding debate over its fairness and role in college admissions. In 1969, Bowdoin College became the first American college to make standardised testing optional. Over the following decades, more colleges followed suit, questioning the weight given to test scores in admissions decisions and their potential to favour students from more advantaged backgrounds. By 2019, more than 1,000 US colleges had adopted some form of test-optional admissions policy, allowing applicants to apply without submitting SAT or ACT scores.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this movement considerably. In 2020, widespread closures of testing centres left many students unable to sit the SAT or ACT, prompting schools that had previously required test scores to suspend their requirements. What began as a practical response to the pandemic gave many colleges an opportunity to reassess whether — and how — standardised testing should feature in admissions.

Since then, colleges have taken different approaches. MIT reinstated its testing requirement beginning with the 2022–23 application cycle, with Dartmouth, Brown, and Harvard subsequently following suit. For UK applicants, however, Dartmouth's policy is more flexible: students attending school outside the US may fulfil its requirement with SAT or ACT scores or alternatives including predicted or final A-Level results. Cornell reinstated its requirement for students entering from autumn 2026 onwards, while Yale has reinstated its SAT or ACT requirement for autumn 2027 entry. Princeton and Columbia have also announced plans to reinstate SAT or ACT requirements for autumn 2028 entry, although both remain test-optional for students seeking autumn 2027 entry.

Not all colleges have followed this trend, however. Several leading liberal arts colleges, which helped pioneer the test-optional movement, have retained their test-optional policies. Amherst and Williams, which adopted test-optional policies in 2020, continue to allow applicants to decide whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. Pomona, which also became test-optional during the pandemic, has gone further, describing its test-optional policy as permanent, albeit subject to future institutional review.

Why Are Colleges Bringing the SAT Back?

One of the main arguments for reinstating standardised testing is that SAT and ACT scores can help schools predict how students will perform academically. A 2025 study of students at Ivy-Plus colleges found that these scores helped predict first-year college grades, even after accounting for secondary school grades and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Perhaps more surprisingly, Dartmouth argues that standardised testing can also help identify talented students from less-advantaged backgrounds. Consider a student who scores 1400 on the SAT at a school where the average is around 1000. Although this might be below the scores typically reported by students at highly selective universities, it represents a significant achievement relative to the student's peers. Considering scores in the context of a student's school can therefore help admissions officers recognise academic potential that might otherwise be overlooked.

Cornell's own research raises another concern about test-optional admissions: students may choose not to submit scores that could strengthen their application. Cornell found that 91% of matriculating first-year students responding to its 2022 New Student Survey had taken the SAT or ACT, even though only 28% of fall 2022 applicants submitted test scores. While those who withheld their results generally had lower scores, some students with perfect or near-perfect scores had also chosen not to submit them. Cornell found that decisions about whether to submit scores were associated with factors including family income, school background and access to college counselling. As a result, admissions officers may miss scores that could strengthen an otherwise strong application.

How Much Can Standardised Tests Really Tell Us?

The case for standardised testing is not uncontested. One of the main criticisms is that students' circumstances and access to educational support are associated with test performance, raising questions about whether the tests provide a fair basis for comparing applicants. There are also questions about how accurately test scores predict success at college. A 2020 paper by a UC Berkeley researcher challenged the conclusion that SAT and ACT scores were stronger predictors than school grades, arguing that once differences in students' socioeconomic backgrounds were taken into account, high-school grades were the stronger predictor of academic performance within the University of California system.

Grades, however, have limitations of their own. While they reflect achievement over time, grading standards can vary considerably between schools. Standardised tests offer a common measure, but their results can also reflect differences in educational opportunity. Given these conflicting arguments, it is perhaps unsurprising that colleges continue to reach different conclusions about the role of standardised testing in admissions.

What SAT Scores Do You Need for America's Top Colleges?

For students applying to America's most competitive colleges, looking at the scores achieved by recent entrants can help them set realistic SAT or ACT targets and assess how their own results compare.

The table below shows the middle 50% of SAT and ACT scores among enrolled first-year students who submitted each test at selected colleges in autumn 2025. These ranges represent the scores between the 25th and 75th percentiles, rather than minimum scores required for admission.

These figures should be treated as a guide rather than an admissions threshold. Students can be admitted with scores below the published ranges, and even the highest scores do not guarantee admission. At test-optional institutions, the figures may also reflect only those students who chose to submit their results.

SAT and ACT scores are just one part of the application. Colleges also consider school grades, the subjects students have studied, extracurricular activities, personal essays and other achievements.

What Should UK Students Do?

For UK students, SAT and ACT preparation should form part of a wider admissions strategy. UK applicants may need additional time to become familiar with the tests’ formats and question styles.

A timeline for UK applicants:

• Year 12: Research potential colleges and the testing policies for the intended year of entry; take practice tests and begin preparation.
  
• Spring of Year 12: Sit the SAT or ACT when adequately prepared, allowing time for a possible retake.
  
• Summer before Year 13: Recheck each school’s current testing, score-reporting, Early Decision/Early Action and Regular Decision deadlines, and book any necessary autumn retake.
  
• Autumn of Year 13: Complete any necessary retake early enough to meet each university’s testing deadline and submit application materials on time.

SAT or ACT preparation should not come at the expense of schoolwork. Strong GCSE results, carefully chosen A-Level subjects and high predicted grades are fundamental to a competitive application.

Ultimately, the best approach will depend on each student's college choices and the requirements they need to meet. Starting early and seeking additional guidance where needed, gives UK applicants the time to prepare thoroughly, approach these tests with confidence and keep their wider academic ambitions firmly in sight.