SAT Subject Test Policies

SAT Subject Tests, formerly called the SAT II, are sometimes an afterthought for teens who are focused on maintaining strong grades, studying for the SAT or ACT, or readying themselves for an AP exam. Yet for students who plan on applying to highly-selective schools, strong Subject Test results can constitute the difference between acceptance and rejection. The following table indicates Subject Test policies at the nation’s most selective colleges.  For those who want to learn more about how to tackle the SAT Subject Tests, click here.

*Data collected from institution websites.

Table updated August 30, 2020

To view additional data columns, click the + icon to the left of the program’s name.

Institution	Policy	Notes
University of California, Davis	Optional
University of California, Santa Cruz	Optiona
Columbia University	Optional
Lafayette College	Optional
Connecticut College	Optional
Cooper Union	Optional
Cornell University	Optional	No longer required for any college/school at Cornell.
Dartmouth College	Optional
Davidson College	Optional
Duke University	Optional
Emory University	Optional
Franklin & Marshall College	Optional
Georgetown University	Recommended (3)	Strongly recommended for all applicants. Students can submit AP exam results in place of or in combination with Subject Tests. Full Subject Test testing history is required.
Georgia Institute of Technology	Optional
Grinnell College	Optional
Hamilton College	Optional
Harvard University	Optional
Harvey Mudd College	Not considered	Beginning with the high school class of 2021, Harvey Mudd will no longer require or consider SAT Subject Tests.
Haverford College	Optional
Johns Hopkins University	Optional	Engineering applicants are recommended to submit Math II and one (1) science Subject Test.
Kenyon College	Optional
Lehigh University	Optional
California Institute of Technology	Not considered
Amherst College	Optional
Barnard College	Optional
Bates College	Optional
Boston College	Optional
Bowdoin College	Optional
Brandeis University	Optional
Brown University	Optional
Bryn Mawr College	Optional
Bucknell University	Optional
Colorado College	Optional
Carleton College	Optional
Carnegie Mellon University	Optional
Case Western Reserve University	Optional
Claremont McKenna College	Optional
Colby College	Optional
Colgate University	Optional
College of the Holy Cross	Optional
College of William and Mary	Optional
University of Southern California	Optional
University of California, Riverside	Optional
University of California, San Diego	Optional	Applicants to the School of Engineering and biological and physical science majors are encouraged to take Math II and one (1) science Subject Test.
University of California, Santa Barbara	Optional
University of Chicago	Optional
University of Michigan	Optional
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Optional
University of Notre Dame	Optional
University of Pennsylvania	Optional
University of Richmond	Optional
University of Rochester	Optional
University of California, Los Angeles	Optional
University of Virginia	Optional
Vanderbilt University	Optional
Vassar College	Optional
Wake Forest University	Optional
Washington University in St. Louis	Optional
Washington and Lee University	Optional
Wellesley College	Optional
Wesleyan University	Optional
Williams College	Optional
Reed College	Optional
Macalester College	Optional
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Not considered	MIT has made the decision to no longer consider SAT Subject Tests as part of the admissions process.
Middlebury College	Optional
New York University	Optional
Northeastern University	Optional
Northwestern University	Optional
Oberlin College	Optional
Pomona College	Optional
Princeton University	Optional	Engineering applicants are encouraged to take Math I or Math II AND Physics or Chemistry.
Yale University	Not considered for 2020-21	SAT Subject Tests will not be considered during the 2020-21 admissions cycle.
Rice University	Optional
Scripps College	Optional
Stanford University	Optional
Swarthmore College	Not considered for 2020-21	SAT subject tests are not required and will not be considered for 2020-21 admissions.
Tufts University	Optional
Tulane University	Optional
Union College	Optional
University of California, Berkeley	Optional	Applicants to the College of Chemistry and College of Engineering are encouraged to take Math II and one (1) science Subject Test.
University of California, Irvine	Optional

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