Since April 2020, Cornell has not required first-year applicants to submit SAT or ACT exam scores. Three of Cornell’s undergraduate colleges—Agriculture and Life Sciences; Architecture, Art, and Planning; and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business—do not use test scores as part of their admission process. Applicants to Cornell’s five other undergraduate colleges—Arts & Sciences; Engineering; Human Ecology; Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy; and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations—have the option to submit SAT and/or ACT scores, although they are not required.

In extending the existing policies to the high school graduating classes of 2023 and 2024, Cornell recognizes the continuing risks of COVID-19 transmission during in-person testing around the world. At the same time, the university is entering a two-year period of deliberate experimental review in order to guide admission testing policy requirements beyond these two years. We will engage both in self-study about the role of testing in promoting access and success at Cornell and systematically review admission assessments in partnership with other universities and higher education organizations.

Cornell continues to follow the guidance and policies of the Ivy League regarding testing requirements for applicants who expect to participate in a varsity athletic program.  For more information, please see the Ivy League's webpage for prospective student athletes.

For more information on standardized testing, please refer to our Standardized Testing Policy page.