Testing policy
These colleges reported to the federal government that test scores are required for admission. 30 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify for this list, and colleges with a missing value for the fields used here are left out rather than guessed. The table below shows the top 20, led by Harvard University (Massachusetts).
Across all 30 qualifying colleges the acceptance rate runs from 3.6% (Harvard University) to 89.3% (Texas State University), with a median of 42.4%. For comparison, the median across the 354 colleges in the full dataset that report it is 44.6%.
| # | College | State | Test policy | Acceptance rate | SAT middle 50% | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | MA | Required | 3.6% | 1510–1580 | 97.6% |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | Required | 4.5% | 1520–1580 | 96.4% |
| 3 | College of the Ozarks | MO | Required | 12.0% | 1050–1220 | 63.7% |
| 4 | United States Military Academy | NY | Required | 12.4% | 1200–1430 | 87.1% |
| 5 | Georgetown University | DC | Required | 12.9% | 1390–1550 | 94.8% |
| 6 | Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | Required | 14.1% | 1370–1540 | 94.0% |
| 7 | United States Air Force Academy | CO | Required | 14.1% | 1230–1440 | 87.5% |
| 8 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | FL | Required | 20.6% | 1030–1180 | 53.3% |
| 9 | Florida State University | FL | Required | 24.2% | 1270–1410 | 85.6% |
| 10 | University of Florida | FL | Required | 24.2% | 1320–1480 | 91.1% |
| 11 | United States Merchant Marine Academy | NY | Required | 34.2% | 1110–1300 | 82.4% |
| 12 | University of Georgia | GA | Required | 37.7% | 1270–1480 | 89.7% |
| 13 | University of Central Florida | FL | Required | 40.1% | 1200–1350 | 78.0% |
| 14 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | AR | Required | 41.2% | 845–1108 | 40.4% |
| 15 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | TN | Required | 41.6% | 1200–1370 | 73.9% |
| 16 | University of South Florida | FL | Required | 43.2% | 1130–1320 | 76.8% |
| 17 | Texas A & M International University | TX | Required | 44.4% | 890–1090 | 46.5% |
| 18 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | NM | Required | 44.5% | 1080–1310 | 57.0% |
| 19 | Alcorn State University | MS | Required | 45.3% | 670–998 | 57.4% |
| 20 | Brigham Young University-Hawaii | HI | Required | 47.0% | 960–1190 | 52.6% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution, May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26). Data fetched 2026-10-14. Open any row for the full college profile.
Of the 30 qualifying colleges, 25 are public and 5 are private nonprofit. Within the table, Florida appears 5 times, Massachusetts appears 2 times, New York appears 2 times. The median graduation rate among the 20 listed colleges that report it is 80.2%, against 73.1% for the whole dataset. 20 of the 20 listed colleges report an SAT range, and the midpoints of those ranges have a median near 1280.
Only a subset of our dataset reports a testing policy in the Scorecard release, so this list is a sample of test-required colleges, not a complete national list. Rows are sorted from most to least selective by acceptance rate.
Each column in the table means the following.
Testing policies change from one admissions cycle to the next. The policy shown is what was reported in the release cited below, so confirm it on the college's own admissions page before you plan around it.
To see how your own score compares, read what a 1280 SAT or a 28 ACT means for a college list, then check college costs by state for price context.
Harvard University is first on this list, with acceptance rate of 3.6%. It leads 30 qualifying colleges in the dataset, so check what the number measures before treating it as a recommendation.
30 of the 354 colleges in our dataset qualify, and the table shows the top 20. Colleges with a missing value are excluded.
No. The list sorts on one number. It does not measure teaching, fit, program strength or what you would pay, so use it to find colleges to look at and then check each profile and the college's own website.
Colleges are drawn from the 354-college dataset built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 release (file published 2026-05-26); fetched 2026-10-14). Selection: Four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: every college admitting 55% or fewer applicants, plus the 150 largest by undergraduate enrollment. Colleges that do not report test ranges are included with ranges shown as not reported. Reporting periods for the fields on this page: Fall 2016 or AcadYr 2016-17 entry cohort, as applicable; Fall 2022. Full definitions are on the methodology page, and the numbers are available as an open download.
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