Navigating College Admissions: Understanding ACT Test Requirements

The ACT (originally an abbreviation of American College Testing) is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. Understanding the ACT test college requirements is crucial for students planning their higher education. This article provides a comprehensive overview of ACT requirements, test-optional policies, scoring, and strategies to improve your performance.

The Role of ACT Scores in College Admissions

Colleges use ACT scores as one factor in the admission process. The ACT is more widely used in the Midwestern, Rocky Mountain, and Southern United States, whereas the SAT is more popular on the East and West coasts.

What is a "Good" ACT Score?

Since admission standards vary by college, a good ACT score for one school may be too low for another. For top-tier universities, a good ACT score could mean a 34 or higher, while a 30 might be the right score if it fits with the median at the schools on your college list. Experts say lower scores also get some students admitted into schools, since colleges may also weigh GPA, essays, recommendations and more. A good ACT score is one that reinforces your academic profile and clears the bar at your target schools.

How Colleges Use ACT Scores

Students can use the 50th percentile ACT score of a college’s most recent freshman class as a benchmark. ACT score ranges vary by school, with each college sharing a mid-50% range, where half of admitted students scored within the range, 25% scored lower, and 25% scored higher. For practical purposes, students aiming to be competitive should strive to score above the midpoint of this mid-50% range or even higher. Scoring above it is a positive sign, but scoring under it may mean the school is a reach.

ACT Scores by School Type

ACT score expectations vary for Ivy League, highly selective, selective and less-selective schools. If a student is aiming for admission to an Ivy League university, a score of 35 or higher would be considered good enough to support a competitive application. For a student aspiring to attend a college such as Florida Gulf Coast University, a good ACT score might range between 21 and 26. Scores between 33 and 36 can typically be seen at the most competitive schools. Above all, colleges seek motivated, capable students who demonstrate focus and the potential to succeed in a rigorous academic environment.

Colleges Requiring ACT Scores

Several universities still require students to submit ACT scores as part of their application process. Here are a few examples:

California Institute of Technology: Caltech requires students to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of the application process. It also requires all available AP/IB scores.
Harvard College: Harvard requires applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of the application process.
Yale University: Yale requires applicants to submit SAT, ACT, or AP/IB scores as part of the admissions process.
Brown University: Brown requires students submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their admission application.
Dartmouth College: Dartmouth requires students to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application.
Cornell University: Cornell requires students to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of the application for admission.
Carnegie Mellon University: CMU requires students to submit test scores as part of their application. The School of Computer Science only allows SAT or ACT scores. Other schools allow AP, IB, A-Level, or French Baccalaureate in the place of SAT/ACT.
Georgetown University: Georgetown requires submission of SAT/ACT scores for admission. Students who apply without scores will be asked to explain why they were unable to take a test.
The Cooper Union: Cooper Union requires applicants to the School of Engineering to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of the application.
University of Central Florida: University of Central Florida requires either the SAT or ACT.
Auburn University: Auburn requires either the SAT or the ACT. However, a very limited number of applicants with a 3.6+ GPA may be admitted test optional in fall 2026.
Purdue University-West Lafayette: Purdue University requires either the SAT or ACT.
Florida International: Florida International University requires either the SAT or ACT.
Gallaudet University: Gallaudet University requires either the SAT or ACT.
University of Alabama: For the fall 2027 term, Bama will require SAT/ACT scores for applicants whose GPA is lower than 3.0.
Thomas Aquinas College: Thomas Aquinas College requires that applicants take the SAT, the ACT, or the CLT.

Test-Optional Policies: An Overview

Many colleges have adopted test-optional policies, allowing students to apply without submitting ACT or SAT scores.

Colleges with Test-Optional Policies

Here are some colleges that offer test-optional policies:

Bowdoin College: Bowdoin College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Colby College: Colby College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Barnard College: Barnard College has extended their temporary test optional policy to the 2026-27 admissions cycle.
Middlebury College: Middlebury has extended their temproary, test optional policy to the 2025-26 admission cycle.
Washington University in St. Louis: Washington University in St.
Haverford College: Haverford offers a test optional policy, which allows students to apply for admission with SAT or ACT scores.
Bates College: Bates offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Davidson College: Davidson offers a test optional policy, which allows students to apply for admission with SAT or ACT scores.
Hamilton College: Hamilton offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill: The UNC System requires students to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Wesleyan University: Wesleyan University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores. However, homeschooled students are not eligible for test optional admission.
Colorado College: Colorado College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Vassar College: Vassar offers a test optional policy, which allows students to apply for admission with SAT or ACT scores.
Rhode Island School of Design: Rhode Island School of Design offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Smith College: Smith College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Skidmore College: Skidmore College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Pitzer College: Pitzer has been test optional since 2003.
Franklin and Marshall College: Franklin and Marshall College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores. However, homeschooled students are not eligible for test optional admission.
Macalester College: Macalester College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Bucknell University: Bucknell University adopted a temporary test optional policy for first-year students. However, all students are required to submit scores upon enrollment.
Bryn Mawr College: Bryn Mawr offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Mount Holyoke College: Mount Holyoke College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Whitman College: Whitman College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Gettysburg College: Gettysburg College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Clark University: Clark University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Brandeis University: Brandeis University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
North Carolina State University-Raleigh: The UNC System requires students to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Emerson College: Emerson College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Southwestern University: Southwestern University has a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without submitting SAT or ACT scores.
Union College (NY): Union College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Truman State University: Truman State offers a test optional policy.
George Washington University: George Washington University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores. However, applicants applying to the accelerated Seven-Year B.A./M.D.
Rollins College: Rollins offers a test optional policy ("test scores waived option"), which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Stevens Institute of Technology: Stevens Institute of Technology has extended their temporary test optional policy, with some exceptions, for Fall 2026.
St. Olaf College: St.
St. John's College-Annapolis: St. John's College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without SAT or ACT scores. However, homeschooled students and students who will not earn high school diplomas are not eligible for test optional admission.
Sewanee: University of the South: Sewanee-The University of the South offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Baylor University: Baylor has extended their temporary test optional policy to the Fall 2026 term.
St. Lawrence University: St. Lawrence offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without SAT or ACT scores.
Allegheny College: Allegheny College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without SAT or ACT scores.
Baldwin Wallace University: Baldwin Wallace University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without test scores.
Lake Forest College: Lake Forest College has a test-optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without submitting SAT or ACT scores. Test optional applicants must complete an interview.
Washington College: Washington College has a test-optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without submitting SAT or ACT scores.
DePauw University: DePauw University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
John Brown University: JBU offers a test optional admission policy.
Hendrix College: Hendrix College has a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without submitting SAT or ACT scores.
Agnes Scott College: Agnes Scott College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without SAT or ACT scores.
The College of New Jersey: The College of New Jersey has extended their temporary test optional policy to the 2025-26 admission cycle.
Augustana College: Augustana College has a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without submitting SAT or ACT scores. Test optional applicants may be asked to complete an interview.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: RPI has extended their temporary test optional police to the fall 2026 semester.
Yeshiva University: Yeshiva offers a test optional policy, which allows students to apply for regular admission without SAT/AC scores.
Drake University: Drake University offers a test optional policy, which it refers to as a "test-flexible" plan, which allows students to either write an essay or sit for an interview in lieu of submitting test scores.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Hobart and William Smith Colleges offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without SAT or ACT scores.
University of North Carolina-Wilmington: The UNC System requires students to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Marist College: Marist College offers a test optional policy, offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Chapman University: Chapman offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Abilene Christian University: ACU offers a test optional policy.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers a test optional policy, though SAT or ACT they are strongly encouraged.
Elon University: Elon offers a test optional policy. However, students applying to the Nursing, Accelerated Pathways to PA and DPT and the Accelerated 3+1 Business Dual-Degree programs are required to submit scores. Nursing applicants must have a minimum SAT score of 1100 and ACT 22.
Rochester Institute of Technology: Rochester Institute of Technology offers a test optional policy, which allows students applying to most programs to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
St.
University of North Georgia: The University System of Georgia requires SAT or ACT test scores.
Hofstra University: Hofstra Univeristy offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Presbyterian College (SC): Presbyterian College offers a test optional policy, which allows applicants to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
St. Mary's College of Maryland: Saint Mary's College of Maryland has a test-optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without submitting SAT or ACT scores.
Ithaca College: Ithaca College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
University of Hawai'i at MƒÅnoa: University of Hawai'i offers a test optional policy, which allows students to apply for admission without SAT or ACT scors.
Knox College: Knox College offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without SAT or ACT scores.
University of North Texas: University of North Texas requires either the SAT or ACT.
University of Puget Sound: Puget Sound offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Earlham College: Earlham offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admissions without SAT or ACT scores.
Taylor University: Taylor University offers a test optional policy, though SAT or ACT scores are preferred.
Elmhurst College: Elmhurst offers a test optional policy.
University of Houston: University of Houston requires the SAT or ACT.
Oklahoma State University: Oklahoma State University offers a test optional policy.
Loyola University Maryland: Loyola University Maryland offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
California Lutheran University: California Lutheran University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
DePaul University: DePaul University offers a test optional policy, which allows students to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
Quinnipiac University: Quinnipiac University offers a test optional policy, which allows most students applying to the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Communications and School of Engineering to be considered for admission without SAT or ACT scores.
University of Missouri: Mizzou has extended their temporary test optional policy to the Fall 2026 term.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln requires either the SAT or the ACT.
Wheaton College (MA): Wheaton College offers a test optional policy, which al…

Deciding Whether to Submit Your ACT Score

Many colleges are test-optional, but submitting a score could help you stand out by giving the admissions committee another way to evaluate you. Test-optional doesn’t mean test-irrelevant. Strong ACT scores still move the needle. This can be especially true at highly selective schools, for competitive majors or for students coming from schools where the context for their GPA is more difficult to evaluate. If you’re going to send scores, they need to help you. A great score is still a strategic advantage. It just needs to be used wisely.

Be strategic when deciding whether to submit ACT scores. If your score is above the median, it’s usually a good idea to send it. If it’s below, it really depends on how strong the rest of your application is. One of the most common mistakes is submitting a borderline score that undercuts an otherwise strong academic profile. Test-optional gives students more flexibility, but it also demands better judgment. By contrast, test-blind schools don’t look at scores at all - even for scholarships. In those cases, even the best ACT score won't help.

Read also: Mastering the SAT

Understanding the ACT Test

The ACT includes multiple-choice sections in English, mathematics, and reading. It also offers optional scientific reasoning and direct writing tests.

ACT Scoring System

The multiple-choice test sections of the ACT are individually scored on a scale of 1-36. The English, mathematics, and reading tests also have subscores ranging from 1 to 18 (the subject score is not the sum of the subscores). In addition, students taking the optional writing test receive a writing score ranging from 2 to 12 (this is a change from the previous 1-36 score range); the optional science and writing scores do not affect the composite score. Each question answered correctly is worth one raw point, and there is no penalty for marking incorrect answers on the multiple-choice parts of the test; a student can answer all questions without a decrease in their score due to incorrect answers.

ACT Sections

English: The 45-minute English test covers usage/mechanics, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills. The 75-question test consists of five passages with various sections underlined on one side of the page and options to correct the underlined portions on the other side of the page.
Math: The 60-minute, 60-question math test includes questions covering pre-algebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, plane geometry, coordinate geometry, and elementary trigonometry. Calculators are permitted in this section only.
Reading: The reading section is a 35-minute, 40-question test that consists of four sections, three of which contain one long prose passage and one which contains two shorter prose passages. This reading test assesses skills in three general categories: key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and ideas.
Science: The optional science section is a 35-minute, 40-question test. There are seven passages each followed by five to seven questions. The passages have three different formats: Data Representation, Research Summary, and Conflicting Viewpoints.
Writing: The optional writing section is 40 minutes. The essays must be in response to a given prompt; the prompts are about broad social issues, and students must analyze three different perspectives given and show how their opinion relates to these perspectives. The essay does not affect the composite score or the English section score; it is only given as a separate writing score and is included in the ELA score.

Preparing for the ACT

Start prepping for the ACT by taking a practice test. That shows you what to expect and where you need to improve so you can focus your study plan. Prep experts recommend taking it at least twice to improve your scores.

Tips to Improve Your ACT Score

Take Practice Tests: Taking practice tests helps you understand the test format and identify areas for improvement.
Focus on Weak Areas: Concentrate your study efforts on the subjects where you score the lowest.
Understand the Instructions: Familiarize yourself with the instructions for each section to avoid wasting time during the test.
Manage Your Time: Practice pacing yourself to ensure you can complete each section within the allotted time.
Review and Revise: If time permits, review your answers and make any necessary revisions.

ACT vs. SAT

If you’re trying to decide whether to take the SAT or ACT, you’re not alone. Both test what you’re learning in school, the same knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college and career. The SAT:

College Board has partnered with Khan Academy®-a not-for-profit-to offer Official SAT Prep, where you can further develop the knowledge and skills that are tested on the SAT. Students can also join free peer-to-peer SAT tutoring through Schoolhouse.world, where small groups of students learn together with guidance from top-scoring peers. By comparison, ACT practice materials are on different platforms than the ones used during the actual test. The ACT offers only 1 free downloadable practice test and 2 web-based practice tests (1 timed and 1 untimed). ACT also partners with various for-profit test prep companies to offer self-paced, live online, and in-person tutoring up to $4,140.
Is familiar. By the time you take the SAT in your junior year, you’re likely to be familiar with everything that’s covered on the test. If you took the PSAT/NMSQT, you’re also familiar with the SAT format. While the format of the ACT may vary depending on where or when you take it, the SAT format-a Reading and Writing section and a Math section-is consistent, and you’ll take it on the familiar Bluebook testing application.
Is shorter, with more time per question. The SAT is 2 hours and 14 minutes. The SAT gives you between 41% and 44% more time per question than the ACT-depending on whether or not you take the Science section-so you can show what you know, not how fast you are.
Has shorter reading passages. The reading passages on the SAT are typically short, and each has one question. The reading passages on the ACT are always long, and each has 9 questions.
Features built-in math support. The math section on the SAT gives you a built-in graphing calculator plus all necessary formulas. ACT encourages students to bring their own calculator, but it restricts which calculators may be used.
Is digital everywhere. You can take the digital SAT on the device you’re most familiar with-your own laptop, tablet, or school-issued Chromebook. When taking the ACT on a weekend, it’s still paper and pencil in most places. If you do take the ACT digitally on the weekend, you’ll be assigned a device you may not be familiar with.
Makes the choice simple. You may have heard that colleges in some states prefer the SAT while others favor the ACT, but this isn’t true. Colleges don’t have a preference. All colleges that accept or require an admission test accept the SAT. While ACT transitions test formats, some colleges are updating their test policies, ranging from requiring the ACT Science section to not calculating an ACT superscore in the 2025-26 application cycle. This makes it complicated to figure out what sections you need to take or how your ACT score will be reviewed. Be sure to check policies before you apply.
Has science reasoning built in. The SAT has no separate science section; it integrates science reasoning into reading passages and math problems. The ACT has a separate science section. Starting in spring 2025, that section will be “optional,” but it’s unclear how that will impact the total ACT score or how colleges will interpret it.

Read also: Comprehensive ACT Guide

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