Test-Optional Colleges 2026: What Students and Parents Need Most U.S. colleges remain test-optional for 2026 admissions. The single most useful action you can take right now is to pull up each target school’s official admissions page, confirm its current testing policy, and apply the 50th-percentile rule: if your best SAT or ACT score meets or exceeds the school’s published median, submit it. If it falls below, you can usually build a stronger case without it. FairTest and Common App both maintain updated policy listings. A large number of U.S. colleges are currently test-optional, while a smaller group are test-blind. That is a large, varied landscape, and policies are not frozen. Submit scores if your score is at or above the school’s published 50th percentile and you are applying to a program or scholarship that still weighs them. Omit scores if your score falls below the median and your GPA, course rigor, and essays are your strongest credentials. Verify first, always. A handful of selective schools have already announced returns to test-required policies, so checking before you apply is non-negotiable. Table of Contents What does “test-optional” actually mean for your applicat