First-year applicants to Cornell University are required to submit official SAT or ACT test scores.

Cornell has reinstituted standardized testing requirements for students seeking undergraduate admission beginning in Fall 2026. 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, data suggests that when taken in context, these scores provide valuable insights into a student’s potential for academic success while at Cornell, and therefore help to ensure that admitted students are likely to thrive academically.

First-year Applicants

Effective for students applying for Fall 2026 or beyond, first-year applicants to all 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.

For the SAT, Cornell participates in the College Board Score Choice program, and we consider the highest section scores across test dates. For the ACT, Cornell considers the highest composite score across all ACT test dates. The science section of the ACT is not required.

Cornell’s SAT code is 2098, and our ACT code is 2726.

Matriculating First-Year Students for Fall 2025

Matriculating first-year students to one of our test-recommended colleges/schools* are required to submit official standardized test scores. If you submitted unofficial test scores as part of your application and will be enrolling at Cornell for Fall 2025, please note that official test scores must be submitted by June 10. Official test scores must be sent from the testing agency.

*Test-recommended colleges/schools are 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.

Transfer Applicants

SAT or ACT scores are neither required nor expected for transfer applicants.