Columbia — the last Ivy still test-optional — will require SAT or ACT scores starting August 2027, remaining optional for 2026–27.
Columbia will require SAT or ACT scores starting with the 2027–28 cycle. Scores remain optional for 2026–27. A multi-year faculty review called scores "a useful indicator of potential student success." The announcement notes applicants may seek hardship waivers without penalty. Columbia went test-optional in 2020 and had kept the policy longer than its Ivy peers.
The move completes the Ivy League's post-pandemic return to required testing.
This was the last domino. If you were waiting for "maybe Ivies stay optional forever," that era is over.
Plan your testing timeline now for junior year — or earlier if you need multiple attempts. Hardship waivers exist, but do not design your strategy around one. Treat a competitive SAT/ACT as table stakes for Columbia and the rest of the Ivy League.
Test Ninjas' view has been consistent: after SFFA, objective measures matter more. Columbia just confirmed the industry consensus.
Scores remain optional for 2026–27. That does not mean silence is wise if your score is strong. Optional policies still reward people who submit competitive numbers while punishing those who assume "optional" means "ignored."
If you are applying next cycle with a weak or unfinished testing plan, accelerate. Prep seriously. A strong score is still one of the few levers you can move in months, not years.
When the last Ivy returns to required testing, counselors should stop treating test-optional as the default future. It was a pandemic exception that selective admissions is unwinding.
Build your junior year around a real testing calendar. Everything else in the file gets easier when the score is not a panic project in October.
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