Beginning with the 2025-2026 undergraduate admissions cycle, Penn is reinstating a standardized testing requirement for applicants, with the goal of bringing clarity and transparency to the application process. Students applying for fall 2026 admission will be required to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their admission materials. Penn’s updated policy will allow students facing hardship in accessing testing to submit a testing waiver with their application.
Penn pivoted to a test-optional policy in 2020-2021 to accommodate applicants facing significant hurdles accessing testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the University has committed to reassessing this policy each year to determine whether and when it would be appropriate to reinstate the requirement. By returning to a testing requirement, Penn aims to remove uncertainty for applicants trying to decide whether to include their test scores.
Penn’s practice has been, and continues to be, considering a student’s school-based academic record on its own merit, with testing as part of Admission’s broad and comprehensive assessment. With this approach, testing complements a student’s existing accomplishments and can offer additional relevant information in our comprehensive and holistic admission process.