Standardized Testing Policy
Cornell will reinstitute standardized testing requirements for students seeking undergraduate admission for fall 2026 enrollment. To provide students with time to prepare and take standardized tests, Cornell will remain test optional for students applying in the upcoming admissions cycle for enrollment in fall 2025, as previously announced, although these applicants are encouraged to submit SAT and/or ACT scores to Cornell colleges and schools that are currently test-optional.
After a multi-year study conducted by the university’s Task Force on Standardized Testing in Admissions, data showed that when reviewed in context with other application materials, such as GPA, academic rigor, extracurricular engagement, essays, and letters of recommendation, test scores help to create a more complete picture of an individual applicant. Though standardized test scores are imperfect measures of a student’s aptitude and potential, the data suggests that when taken in context, these scores provide valuable insights into a student’s potential for academic success while at Cornell, and thereby help to ensure that admitted students are likely to thrive academically.
First-year Applicants for Fall 2025
Cornell will be test-recommended for students applying in fall 2024 to enroll for fall 2025. This means that submitting test scores is not required but recommended for applicants to the College of Arts & Sciences; Cornell Engineering; College of Human Ecology; Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy; and School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; College of Architecture, Art, and Planning; and Cornell SC Johnson College of Business will remain score-free for students applying to enroll for fall 2025.
Cornell colleges that will not use test scores in the admission process for students applying to enroll for fall 2025:
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
- Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
- Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration
Cornell colleges and schools that are test-recommended for students applying to enroll for fall 2025:
- College of Arts & Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Human Ecology
- Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
- School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Additional Information About Standardized Testing
- Cornell University does not require the essay section on the SAT or ACT. (The essay portion of the SAT was discontinued in 2021.)
- Applicant results will be superscored to combine your highest subsections.
- If you plan to apply to one of our test-recommended colleges/schools, you are welcome to submit unofficial test scores to Cornell University. Should you be admitted to and enrolled at Cornell, we will require official test scores sent from the testing agency at that time.
- SAT Subject Tests (discontinued in 2021) are not required or expected for admission to Cornell University.
First-year Applicants for Fall 2026 & Beyond
Effective for students applying to enroll for fall 2026 or beyond, applicants to all Cornell undergraduate colleges and schools will be required to submit standardized test scores. In addition to test scores, Cornell will consider both the context provided by the rest of a student's application materials and the context of where they are applying from—their high school, personal circumstances, and background.