Columbia University will be the only Ivy League institution maintaining a test-optional admissions policy in the 2027-28 cycle, following Princeton University’s decision earlier this month to reinstate standardised testing requirements. The move marks a significant shift in the post-pandemic admissions landscape, as every other Ivy League institution returns to mandatory SAT or ACT submissions.
A policy born in a pandemic
All eight Ivy League universities introduced test-optional admissions in 2020 amid widespread cancellations of the SAT and ACT during the COVID-19 pandemic. Columbia initially described the measure as temporary. However, in March 2023, it became the first Ivy to announce that its test-optional policy would remain in place indefinitely.A Columbia University spokesperson told The Columbia Spectator that the institution “continually reviews and assesses our admissions policies to ensure compliance with the law and alignment with our goal to attract strong students who will advance knowledge and learning at its highest levels.”
Ivy League reversals
Since 2023, one by one, other Ivy League universities have abandoned test-optional policies. Brown University, Dartmouth College and Harvard University reinstated testing for the 2024-25 admissions cycle. The University of Pennsylvania followed for 2025-26, while Cornell University ended its policy for 2026-27. Princeton’s latest announcement leaves Columbia as the lone holdout.Yale University adopted a test-flexible model, allowing applicants to submit Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) results instead of SAT or ACT scores.Each university has cited data-driven rationales for reintroducing standardised testing. Princeton and Cornell reported that students who submitted test scores tended to perform better academically. Princeton’s internal findings indicated that academic performance was “stronger for students who chose to submit test scores than for students who did not,” while Cornell’s admissions task force concluded that test-optional students generally earned “somewhat weaker semester GPAs” in their first year.
Rethinking equity and access
Supporters of test-optional admissions have long argued that removing testing requirements mitigates socioeconomic disparities. The Spectator reports that this argument gained traction during the pandemic, when access to testing centres was severely limited.Yet, recent research across Ivy League institutions has challenged the equity claims of test-optional policies. Dartmouth College professors, in a 2024 report, found that students from different income levels submitted scores at similar rates, and that lower-income applicants often missed opportunities to demonstrate their academic strength through proportionally high test results. The report concluded that test-optional policies may unintentionally disadvantage less-privileged students.
Broader political and legal context
The debate over testing coincides with shifting legal constraints on college admissions. In June 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down affirmative action, banning race-conscious admissions. Soon after, the College Board discontinued its “Landscape” tool, which helped admissions officers assess applicants’ socioeconomic and educational backgrounds.According to The Columbia Spectator, Columbia University’s $221 million settlement with the Trump administration included a clause preventing the use of personal statements or references to racial identity in admissions decisions. The University subsequently revised its supplementary essay questions, replacing references to diversity with prompts about learning from disagreement.Former Journalism School dean Nicholas Lemann, speaking to The Spectator, said that while standardised test scores can modestly predict academic outcomes, “they are less predictive over the whole four years, less predictive of graduation rates, and less predictive at less elite schools.”He added that the government’s scrutiny of university admissions policies — particularly around perceived “discrimination against white and Asian applicants” — has limited institutions’ ability to apply contextual assessments.
Columbia’s solitary stance
As Columbia holds firm on its test-optional stance, it distinguishes itself not only from its Ivy League peers but also from a growing national trend towards reinstating testing requirements.The University’s approach signals a continued commitment to flexibility in assessing student potential. Yet, as more data emerge on the implications of test-optional policies, Columbia may soon face renewed questions about how best to balance access, fairness and academic rigour in the evolving landscape of higher education admissions.
