Who requires a test
For the 2026-27 cycle, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Brown, Cornell, Penn and Georgetown require the SAT or ACT from international applicants. Dartmouth accepts other exams from schools outside the US, and Princeton and Columbia stay test-optional until the 2027-28 cycle.
| Policy | Colleges |
|---|---|
| Required from international applicants, confirmed on their own pages | Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Brown, Cornell, Penn and Georgetown |
| Required, with other options outside the US | Dartmouth: students at schools outside the US can use three AP exams, predicted or final IB or A-level results, or final national exam results instead |
| Not required now, but coming back | Princeton and Columbia for fall 2028 entry (2027-28 cycle), Vanderbilt for fall 2029 entry |
| Test-optional | Duke, NYU, UChicago, Northeastern, Emory, Michigan and Northwestern. Rice recommends a test |
| Scores not considered | University of California, for admission or scholarships |
The Common App grid shows the rule for US citizens and residents, and it can differ for international students. Always check the college's page for international applicants. Penn accepts a testing waiver from applicants who could not test because of hardship, such as no test center nearby or the cost.
What cannot replace the SAT or ACT
At Harvard, Yale and Stanford, an English test does not replace the SAT or ACT in 2026-27, and Yale no longer accepts AP, IB or national exams instead. Harvard makes exceptions only where access to the SAT or ACT is limited.
- English tests: TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo do not meet the testing requirement at Harvard, Yale or Stanford.
- National or school-leaving exams: Yale no longer accepts AP or IB scores in place of the SAT or ACT, and national exams do not count either. It ended its test-flexible policy in May 2026, starting with the 2026-27 cycle, so older articles are out of date.
- Harvard's exception: Harvard accepts AP, IB, GCSE, A-level or national exam results only in exceptional cases where access to the SAT or ACT is limited.
SAT or ACT
Outside the US in 2026-27, the SAT costs US$111 and lasts 2 h 14 min, scored from 400 to 1600. The ACT costs from US$188.50 and lasts 2 h 5 min without its optional parts, scored from 1 to 36.
| SAT | ACT | |
|---|---|---|
| Required parts | Reading and Writing (64 min) and Math (70 min) | English (35 min), Math (50 min) and Reading (40 min) |
| Optional parts | None | Science (40 min) and Writing (40 min) |
| Length | 2 h 14 min, plus a 10-minute break | 2 h 5 min without the optional parts |
| Format | Digital and adaptive: the second module adapts to how you did on the first | Science and Writing do not count in the composite |
| Scale | 400 to 1600 | 1 to 36 |
| Price outside the US | US$111 | US$188.50, or US$198.50 with Science and US$213.50 with Writing |
Colleges that require a test accept either one. Take a practice test of each and keep the one you do better on. If you retake, Yale, Penn, Dartmouth and MIT combine your best section scores across test dates (superscoring). Georgetown does not accept superscores.
Test dates 2026-27
The 2026-27 SAT has eight test dates, from 22 August 2026 to 5 June 2027. The ACT outside the US runs from 5 September 2026 to 10 July 2027.
| Test | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| SAT | 22 August, 12 September, 3 October, 7 November, 5 December | 6 March, 1 May, 5 June |
| ACT outside the US | 5 September, 23 and 24 October, 11 and 12 December | 12 and 13 February, 2 and 3 April, 11 and 12 June, 9 and 10 July |
For 1 November early deadlines, test by October. Some colleges accept later dates: MIT accepts tests taken before 30 November for Early Action, and Yale generally considers October or November scores for Single-Choice Early Action. Stanford wants the ACT by the end of September for Restrictive Early Action. Test centers abroad can fill up, so register early.
Extra fees
Beyond the base price, extras add up in 2026-27: late registration costs US$38 for the SAT and US$42 for the ACT, and each extra score report costs US$15 or US$20 per college. The cost guide adds up the whole bill.
- SAT: late registration US$38, change of center US$34, cancellation US$34, extra score report US$15 per college. Some test centers in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan add a US$24 test center fee.
- ACT: late registration US$42, change US$49, extra score report US$20 per college.