Does a Higher SAT or ACT Score Really Change a Student's Life?

As of October 2026: Yes, in two ways we can show: a score opens published money, such as $16,500 a year at Arizona State for out-of-state students at SAT 1300 or ACT 29, and it opens doors at the 31 public universities in our 226-school check that require a score. Our own students who start at ACT 27 or below gain 5.7 points on average, and 63% of SAT students who start at 1350 or below gain 200 points or more.

What a score actually opens for a family: published merit grids, required-score colleges, and the change in a student that lasts longer than the test.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

The Big Picture: Change Your Test Score, Change Your Life -- Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus (YouTube).

One score band can mean 16,500 dollars a year at a single public college. Arizona State pays out-of-state students $16,500 a year at SAT 1300 or ACT 29 with a 3.5 GPA. One tier down, at SAT 1240 to 1299 or ACT 26 to 28, the award is $11,000. The step from one band to the next is $5,500 a year, and the grid is published in advance. Families can see the number before the student ever sits for the test.

31 of the 226 public universities we checked still require a score Our 2026 Public University Test Policy Report checked 226 public universities. We found 31 that require an SAT or ACT, 180 that are optional, and 15 that are test-blind. Every public university in Florida on our list requires a score. So do Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Purdue, Ohio State and Auburn. For those schools, a score is not a choice.

Our ACT students who start at 27 or below gain 5.7 points on average Across 491 ACT students from 2017 to 2023, those starting at 27 or below gained an average of 5.7 points. Across 291 SAT students in 2024, those starting at 1350 or below gained an average of 190 points, and 63% gained 200 points or more. That is 782 students in the published results. A gain of that size moves a student across real lines on the merit grids below.

What do published merit grids pay at each score band?

Every row below is one college's own published automatic merit grid, loaded into Reach's merit-scholarships tool. The dollar figures are the college's own, for the year shown in the as-of date. Where a college publishes a range instead of one number, the amount label carries the range.

College	State	Scholarship	Tier	SAT min	ACT min	GPA min	Per year	Amount note	Residency	Source
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	Presidential Scholarship (in-state)	President's	1,330	29	3.5	$6,500	--	in_state	Source
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	New American University Scholarship -- Provost (OOS)	Provost	1,300	29	3.5	$16,500	--	out_of_state	Source
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	New American University Scholarship -- Dean's Award (OOS)	Dean's Award	1,240	26	3.4	$11,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	New American University Scholarship -- University Award (OOS)	University Award	1,180	23	3.2	$6,500	--	out_of_state	Source
Auburn University	AL	Spirit of Auburn -- Presidential	Presidential	1,430	32	3.5	--	Full in-state tuition (in-state) / OOS tuition differential covered (OOS)	any	Source
Auburn University	AL	Spirit of Auburn -- Founders	Founders	1,370	30	3.5	$18,000	--	any	Source
Auburn University	AL	Spirit of Auburn -- University	University	1,300	28	3.5	$13,000	--	any	Source
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	President's Gold	Gold (resident)	1,320	28	3.9	$5,000	--	in_state	Source
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	Blue and Green Scholars	Scholars (OOS)	1,320	28	3.9	$15,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	President's Silver	Silver (resident)	1,220	25	3.5	$3,000	--	in_state	Source
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	Blue and Green Directors	Directors (OOS)	1,220	25	3.5	$10,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Jacksonville State University	AL	Gamecock Prestige	Top tier	1,390	31	2.0	$10,500	--	any	Source
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	Louisiana Tiger Legacy	ACT 28+	1,300	28	3.0	$1,000	--	any	Source
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	Louisiana Tiger Legacy	ACT 26-27	1,230	26	3.0	$750	--	any	Source
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College	LA	Louisiana Tiger Legacy	ACT 24-25	1,160	24	3.0	$500	--	any	Source
Louisiana Tech University	LA	Presidential Scholarship	Top tier	1,450	33	3.0	$9,500	--	any	Source
Michigan Technological University	MI	Presidential Scholars Program	Range	1,110	22	3.5	$5,500	--	any	Source
Middle Tennessee State University	TN	Centennial Scholarship	Centennial	1,490	34	3.5	$8,000	--	any	Source
Middle Tennessee State University	TN	Trustee Scholarship	Trustee	1,360	30	3.5	$5,000	--	any	Source
Middle Tennessee State University	TN	Presidential Scholarship	Presidential	1,200	25	3.5	$4,500	--	any	Source
Middle Tennessee State University	TN	True Blue Scholarship	True Blue	1,100	22	3.5	$3,500	--	any	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.0-3.29, ACT 33-36	1,450	33	3.0	$4,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.30-3.59, ACT 33-36	1,450	33	3.3	$6,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.60+, ACT 33-36	1,450	33	3.6	$10,500	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Colvard Future Leader Add-On	GPA 3.30-3.59 + ACT 31+	1,390	31	3.3	$5,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Colvard Future Leader Add-On	GPA 3.60-4.09 + ACT 31+	1,390	31	3.6	$5,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Colvard Future Leader Add-On	GPA 4.10+ + ACT 31+	1,390	31	4.1	$5,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.0-3.29, ACT 30-32	1,360	30	3.0	$3,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.30-3.59, ACT 30-32	1,360	30	3.3	$5,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.60+, ACT 30-32	1,360	30	3.6	$8,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.0-3.29, ACT 25-29	1,200	25	3.0	$2,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.30-3.59, ACT 25-29	1,200	25	3.3	$2,500	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.60+, ACT 25-29	1,200	25	3.6	$5,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.0-3.29, ACT 21-24	1,060	21	3.0	$1,000	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.30-3.59, ACT 21-24	1,060	21	3.3	$1,500	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Resident Academic	GPA 3.60+, ACT 21-24	1,060	21	3.6	$3,500	--	in_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Non-Resident Tuition	GPA 3.30-3.59	--	--	3.3	$12,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Non-Resident Tuition	GPA 3.60-4.09	--	--	3.6	$16,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Mississippi State University	MS	Non-Resident Tuition + Excellence	GPA 4.10+	--	--	4.1	$19,000	--	out_of_state	Source
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	University Assured Academic Excellence	In-State Range	1,090	24	3.0	--	$750-$3,000 (varies by GPA ACT combination)	in_state	Source

Every row is a college's own published grid; dollar figures are the college's, for the year in as_of_date. Trimmed to 40 rows; each row is one college's own published automatic-merit grid.

Which public universities require a score, state by state?

These rows come from Reach's 2026 Public University Test Policy Report. Each row names the policy and the entering class it covers, as the university's own admissions page states it. We checked 226 public universities in all; this table shows the first 60 of 81 published rows.

State	University	Policy	Applies to	Flagship	Source
Alabama	Auburn University	required	fall 2027 first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Alabama	University of Alabama	optional	fall 2027 first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Alaska	University of Alaska Fairbanks	optional	2026-2027 catalog (current policy, no end date stated)	Yes	Source
Arizona	University of Arizona	optional	current first-year applicants (page did not state a specific entering term)	Yes	Source
Arkansas	University of Arkansas	optional	current first-year applicants (no specific entering term stated on page)	Yes	Source
Arkansas	Arkansas State University	required	current first-year applicants (automatic admission pathway)	No	Source
Arkansas	University of Arkansas at Little Rock	required	current first-year applicants (no specific entering term stated on page)	No	Source
California	University of California, Berkeley	blind	same as UC systemwide policy	Yes	Source
California	University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	blind	same as UC systemwide policy	Yes	Source
Colorado	University of Colorado Boulder	optional	2027 first-year application cycle	Yes	Source
Connecticut	University of Connecticut	optional	fall 2026 admitted students (Class of 2030)	Yes	Source
Delaware	University of Delaware	optional	current first-year admissions	Yes	Source
Florida	Florida State University	required	current freshman admission cycle	Yes	Source
Florida	University of Florida	required	current freshman admission cycle (per BOG Reg 6.002, binding on all SUS schools including UF)	Yes	Source
Florida	Florida Atlantic University	required	Summer/Fall 2026 admitted students	No	Source
Florida	Florida International University	required	first-time-in-college applicants, current cycle	No	Source
Florida	University of Central Florida	required	Summer and Fall 2027 freshman admission	No	Source
Florida	University of South Florida	required	Fall 2026 and other terms (Fall/Summer/Spring all reviewed under the Fall cycle)	No	Source
Georgia	Georgia Institute of Technology	required	fall 2026 (AY 2026-27) and fall 2027 (AY 2027-28)	Yes	Source
Georgia	University of Georgia	required	current first-year and dual-enrollment applicants (fall 2026 and fall 2027; UGA is one of the two USG schools excluded from the fall-2027 CLT substitution)	Yes	Source
Georgia	Augusta University	required	fall 2026 (AY 2026-27)	No	Source
Georgia	Georgia College & State University	required	fall 2026 (AY 2026-27); also required in AY2025-26	No	Source
Georgia	Georgia Southern University	required	fall 2026 (AY 2026-27)	No	Source
Georgia	Georgia State University	required	fall 2026 (AY 2026-27)	No	Source
Georgia	Kennesaw State University	required	fall 2026 (AY 2026-27)	No	Source
Hawaii	University of Hawai'i at Manoa	optional	current first-year freshman applicants (page did not state a specific future entering term; snapshot data referenced was Fall 2025)	Yes	Source
Idaho	University of Idaho	optional	Spring 2027 and Summer 2027+ first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Illinois	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	optional	fall 2027 first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Indiana	Purdue University (West Lafayette)	required	fall 2026 entering class and current cycle	Yes	Source
Indiana	Indiana University Bloomington	optional	current first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Iowa	University of Iowa	optional	current first-year (fall-semester) applicants	Yes	Source
Kansas	University of Kansas	optional	freshman applicants for summer 2022 and later (current as of fall 2026/2027 cycles)	Yes	Source
Kentucky	University of Kentucky	optional	through the 2028-29 academic year	Yes	Source
Louisiana	Louisiana State University (LSU A&M)	optional	fall/summer 2027 first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Louisiana	Southern University and A&M College	required	current cycle	No	Source
Maine	University of Maine	optional	all applicants, current cycle	Yes	Source
Maryland	University of Maryland, College Park	optional	Spring and Fall 2027 application cycles	Yes	Source
Massachusetts	University of Massachusetts Amherst	optional	first-year applicants, all majors; no end date stated on the live policy page -- in effect for fall 2026 and fall 2027 applicants	Yes	Source
Michigan	Michigan State University	optional	fall 2027 first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Michigan	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	optional	fall 2027 first-year applicants (and continuing from prior cycles)	Yes	Source
Minnesota	University of Minnesota Twin Cities	optional	freshman applicants through the fall 2029 term (per the dedicated ACT/SAT policy page); a separate freshman checklist page on the same site states 'through fall 2027'	Yes	Source
Mississippi	University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)	optional	fall 2027 freshman applicants, Mississippi residents and non-residents	Yes	Source
Missouri	University of Missouri (Mizzou)	optional	fall 2027 freshman applicants (policy unchanged from the fall 2026 cycle -- no reinstatement of a testing requirement was found)	Yes	Source
Montana	Montana State University	optional	page does not state a specific entering term; policy described as 'effective immediately and for the foreseeable future'	Yes	Source
Montana	University of Montana	optional	fall 2027 first-year applicants (page shows 'Fall 2027 Application Open Now'; same policy covered fall 2026)	Yes	Source
Nebraska	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	optional	Fall 2026 (per the Common Data Set page's own language)	Yes	Source
Nevada	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	optional	fall 2026 and fall 2027 first-year applicants	Yes	Source
Nevada	University of Nevada, Reno	optional	fall 2026 and fall 2027 first-year applicants (page shows Spring 2027/Fall 2027 deadlines)	Yes	Source
New Hampshire	University of New Hampshire	optional	unknown - no entering term/class stated on the page; confirmed in effect as of check date 2026-10-08	Yes	Source
New Jersey	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	optional	through 2027 (per page: "maintains test-optional and test-blind policies through 2027")	Yes	Source
New Mexico	University of New Mexico	optional	not specified on source page; current general freshman admission requirements as published	Yes	Source
New York	Stony Brook University	optional	Fall 2027 and Spring 2027 entry terms, as stated on the source page	Yes	Source
New York	University at Buffalo	optional	current policy as published, for fall and spring admission terms; no end date stated	Yes	Source
North Carolina	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	required	2026-2027 academic year and beyond	Yes	Source
North Carolina	North Carolina State University	required	current policy as published; follows UNC System Policy 700.1.1 (fall 2026 and beyond)	No	Source
North Carolina	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	required	Fall 2027 applicants, as stated on the source page	No	Source
North Dakota	University of North Dakota	optional	current freshman admission requirements as published; no specific entering term stated	Yes	Source
Ohio	The Ohio State University	required	2026 admissions cycle and beyond (Columbus campus); current policy as published (regional campuses)	Yes	Source
Oklahoma	University of Oklahoma	optional	first-time freshman admission (current page; no specific entering term stated)	Yes	Source
Oregon	University of Oregon	optional	current first-year applicants (page does not state a specific entering term such as fall 2026 or fall 2027)	Yes	Source

Table trimmed to the first 60 of 81 rows for this page; the full table lives at /research/public-flagships-and-required.

What do our own students gain?

These are the published results for students who completed our program. They are averages, not promises, and they count only students with 12 or more instruction hours and at least 80 percent homework completion.

Measure	Value
ACT students starting at 27 or below: average gain	5.7 points
SAT students starting at 1350 or below: average gain	190 points
SAT students starting at 1350 or below who gain 200 points or more	63%
ACT cohort	491 students, 2017-2023
SAT cohort	291 students, 2024
Total students in the published results	782
Founded	2009

Quote these exactly as printed; they are averages for students who completed the program.

Does a higher SAT or ACT score actually change a student's life?

Yes, and the clearest proof sits in two tables above: published money and published policy. At Arizona State, an out-of-state student with SAT 1300 or ACT 29 and a 3.5 GPA is listed at $16,500 a year. The same student one band lower, at SAT 1240 or ACT 26, is listed at $11,000. The college prints the grid. The student's score decides the row.

The second proof is access. In our 2026 check of 226 public universities, 31 require a score. A student who skips the test is not applying to those 31 at all. That is not a small list. It holds Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Purdue, Ohio State, the University of Florida, Florida State and Auburn.

There is a third change that no table can hold. Nick put it plainly in his talk: a student moved from a 17 to a 27 on the ACT, took the official test one time, and hit his goal. In Nick's words, that student earned really strong grades in college and was recently admitted to USC Law School. He says the lessons from test prep are why.

So the honest answer has two parts. The score changes the price and the list of colleges. The process of raising it can change what a student believes he can do.

How much money can one score band mean at a single college?

At Arizona State, the gap between two score bands is $5,500 a year for an out-of-state student. The Provost award is $16,500 at SAT 1300 or ACT 29. The Dean's Award is $11,000 at SAT 1240 to 1299 or ACT 26 to 28. The University Award is $6,500 at SAT 1180 to 1239 or ACT 23 to 25.

Auburn's grid moves in bigger steps. The Spirit of Auburn University award is $13,000 at SAT 1300 or ACT 28. Founders pays $18,000 at SAT 1370 or ACT 30. The Presidential tier, at SAT 1430 or ACT 32, is listed as full in-state tuition, or the out-of-state tuition differential covered.

Florida Gulf Coast shows the same pattern for non-residents. Blue and Green Directors pays $10,000 at SAT 1220 or ACT 25. Blue and Green Scholars pays $15,000 at SAT 1320 or ACT 28, with a 3.9 GPA.

For a family, this is the part that is easy to miss. These awards renew. Auburn and Arizona State both list renewal tied to a 3.0 college GPA. A student who lands one band higher as a senior may carry that gap through four years of college bills.

Which public universities still require the SAT or ACT for my child?

We found 31 required, 180 optional, and 15 test-blind among the 226 public universities we checked. Florida is the clearest case. Every Florida public in our table requires a score, including the University of Florida, Florida State, UCF, USF, FAU and FIU. That rule comes from the state Board of Governors Regulation 6.002.

Georgia is the same story. Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State, Augusta and Georgia College all show as required. Georgia Tech's own page says all first-year applicants must submit results from at least one SAT or ACT.

Outside those two states, the required list is scattered. Auburn requires a score for fall 2027 first-year applicants, while the University of Alabama is optional. Purdue requires one. Ohio State requires one for the 2026 cycle and beyond. North Carolina shows required rows at UNC Chapel Hill, NC State and UNC Charlotte.

North Carolina needs one more line of care. Our two tables do not say the same thing about UNC Chapel Hill. The policy table lists it as required for the 2026-2027 year and beyond. Our reinstatement research lists it as optional but tied to GPA. We name that split here rather than pick a side, and we read the school's own page before we plan.

At the other end sit Berkeley and UCLA, which are test-blind. They do not look at a score at all. A family planning only for California publics is in a different world from a family planning for Florida or Georgia.

Which private colleges brought the test requirement back?

At least 20 selective US colleges have reinstated a requirement after a test-optional or test-free period. MIT moved first, with a first required class listed as around fall 2023, an approximate date in our research. Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard and Caltech all required scores starting fall 2025. Cornell, Penn, Johns Hopkins and Stanford followed for fall 2026.

Public names joined the wave. UT Austin began requiring scores with fall 2025 applications. Ohio State moved for the 2026 cycle. The University of Miami moved for fall 2026. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville requires first-year students to self-report an ACT or SAT by January 20, 2027.

A few schools never went fully optional. Georgetown's page says all first-year applicants are required to submit at least one full SAT or ACT. Purdue calls itself test expected. Georgia had only one optional cycle, fall 2021, before requiring scores again for fall 2022.

Carnegie Mellon does not fit one label. A score is required only for the School of Computer Science. Several other colleges there are test-flexible, and the College of Fine Arts is test-optional. For a family, that means reading the policy by school, not by university.

Which big-name colleges are still test-optional for fall 2027?

For fall 2027 applicants, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Washington University in St. Louis, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Emory and the University of Chicago all remain test-optional. Michigan's own page says students who do not submit will not be penalized. Wisconsin's waiver runs through the spring 2028 term.

Three well-known names have announced a return that has not started yet. Princeton requires scores beginning with the 2027-28 admission cycle, which is fall 2028 entry, not fall 2027. Columbia stays optional through the 2026-2027 cycle. Notre Dame is optional through the 2026-27 year. All three take effect for fall 2028.

Vanderbilt waits longer. Its page says the test-optional policy continues for classes entering in fall 2027 or 2028, with a required policy starting fall 2029.

UNC Chapel Hill is the odd one in this group. Our reinstatement research lists it as optional, but only if the weighted GPA is 2.8 or above. A student below that line must submit an ACT 17 or higher, or an SAT 930 or higher. That is not a clean optional or required answer, and a family reading a summary chart can miss it.

If a college is test-optional, does a score still pay?

Yes, because merit money and admission are two different decisions. LSU is test-optional for fall and summer 2027 first-year applicants. LSU also publishes a Louisiana Tiger Legacy grid that pays $1,000 a year at SAT 1300 or ACT 28, $750 at ACT 26 to 27, and $500 at ACT 24 to 25.

The same split shows at other publics. The University of Oklahoma is test-optional. Oklahoma State publishes an in-state assured award of $750 to $3,000 that varies by GPA and ACT together. A student with no score simply has no row in that grid.

Michigan Tech's Presidential Scholars Program starts at SAT 1110 or ACT 22 with a 3.5 GPA. That is a modest score, and the award still runs up to $5,500 a year. Middle Tennessee State starts its True Blue award at SAT 1100 or ACT 22, paying $3,500.

So test-optional does not mean test-free in dollar terms. It means the college will read an application without a score. It does not mean the published grids disappear. For many families, that gap is the real cost of skipping the test.

How much do students usually gain when they prepare?

Our published results show an average gain of 5.7 ACT points for students who start at 27 or below. That figure covers 491 ACT students from 2017 to 2023. On the SAT, students who start at 1350 or below gain an average of 190 points, across 291 students in 2024. In all, 782 students sit behind these numbers.

The share matters as much as the average. Among those SAT students starting at 1350 or below, 63% gain 200 points or more. That is most of the group, not a lucky few at the top.

These are averages for students who completed the program, which we define as 12 or more instruction hours and at least 80 percent homework completion. We print that rule because it shapes the number. A student who stops after two sessions is not in the count.

Put a 5.7-point ACT gain against the grids above. A student at ACT 23 who ends near 28 moves from the Arizona State University Award band to the Dean's or Provost band. At Mississippi State, a resident at ACT 24 with a 3.6 GPA is listed at $3,500; the same student at ACT 30 is listed at $8,000.

Does GPA or the test score matter more on these grids?

On the Mississippi State resident grid, GPA and ACT both move the number, and GPA moves it more at the top. A resident with ACT 33 to 36 is listed at $4,000 with a 3.0 to 3.29 GPA, $6,000 at 3.30 to 3.59, and $10,500 at 3.60 and above. Same test score, three different awards.

The test still carries real money there. A resident with a 3.60 GPA is listed at $3,500 with ACT 21 to 24, $5,000 with ACT 25 to 29, $8,000 with ACT 30 to 32, and $10,500 with ACT 33 to 36. The bottom row and the top row of that column are far apart, and only the test score moved.

Out-of-state at Mississippi State works differently. The Non-Resident Tuition award is set by GPA only, at $12,000 for a 3.30 to 3.59 GPA and $16,000 for 3.60 to 4.09. The Colvard Future Leader Add-On then stacks $5,000 on top, and that add-on requires ACT 31 or higher.

The lesson for a family is simple. By junior year, GPA is mostly fixed by three years of grades. The test score is the part that can still move in a few months.

Can a score change a student's belief about what is possible?

Nick's clearest example is the student who went from a 17 to a 27 on the ACT and later applied to law school. As Nick tells it, that student struggled at the start and said he could not do the problems. The instructor did not take that as the final answer.

The reply became the turning point. In Nick's telling, the instructor said that if that is the story you tell yourself, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You could tell yourself a different story, that you cannot do it yet, and start taking steps to figure it out.

Nick says two things locked the student in. First, a long-term goal, so the work had a point. Second, objective feedback. It was not someone telling him he was doing a good job. He could see the scores moving.

That student took the official ACT one time, scored 27, and hit his goal. In Nick's words, he never would have applied to law school, because he did not think he was a good enough student when he started. He credits the lessons from test prep. We cannot promise that outcome to any family, and we do not treat his gain as a measured average. We treat it as what a locked-in student can do.

What makes a score go up, in Nick's words?

Nick names three things: a long-term goal, visible proof of progress, and hard work outside the lessons. In his talk he says the key is putting in that hard work, and if you do it, the rewards are immense.

The goal comes first because it answers the question every teenager asks. Why does this matter. When the student can tie an hour of practice to a college or a dollar figure on a grid above, the hour stops feeling random.

The proof comes second, and this is the part families often skip. Nick's student did not stay motivated because adults praised him. He stayed motivated because the score went up and he could see it. Objective feedback turned effort into evidence.

The extra work comes third, and it follows the first two. Once he was locked in, the student started doing extra work and ground on the problems he did not know. That order matters. Most students will not grind first and find motivation later.

What does a score not do for my child?

A score does nothing at Berkeley and UCLA, which are test-blind under the UC systemwide policy. The fall 2026 UC fact sheet confirms the freshman admission guarantee does not consider standardized test scores. For a family aiming only at UC, prep time is better spent elsewhere.

A score also does not stand alone on most grids. Arizona State's Presidential and Provost awards each require a 3.5 GPA. Florida Gulf Coast's top awards require a 3.9. Auburn requires an application by December 1 for the Spirit of Auburn awards. A high score with a low GPA may still miss the row.

A score does not stay won, either. Nearly every award in our table is renewable only with college performance. Arizona State, Auburn and Mississippi State all list a 3.0 college GPA, and several add a full-time enrollment rule.

And a score is not a verdict on a child. Nick's point is the opposite. The student who started at a 17 did not think he was a good enough student to apply to law school. The score was the proof that changed his mind, not the thing that made him capable.

What should our family do this month?

Start with a baseline score, because every number above is a band and you cannot plan without knowing your band. We give a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT. That one sitting tells you which row of the grids your child is in today.

Then take the list of colleges your child cares about and mark each one required, optional or blind. Our table covers 60 of the 81 published rows from a 226-school check. If a target school is not in it, the full table lives at the test-policy link below.

Next, read the grid at the two or three publics on that list. Find the band your child is in now and the band just above it. The dollar gap between those two rows is the real reason to prepare this year.

The move: take the free mock SAT and free mock ACT, then set one target score tied to one real row on one real grid. Call us at 949.229.5359 or start at https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. We have been doing this since 2009, and the pattern has not changed: a goal, honest feedback, and hard work.

Questions parents ask

How much is one SAT score band in aid money?
At Arizona State, the gap between two score bands is $5,500 a year for an out-of-state student.

How many public universities still require the SAT or ACT?
We found 31 required, 180 optional, and 15 test-blind among the 226 public universities we checked.

Do test-optional colleges still pay merit money for scores?
Yes, because merit money and admission are two different decisions.

How much do students usually gain when they prepare?
Our published results show an average gain of 5.7 ACT points for students who start at 27 or below.

Which famous colleges brought the test requirement back?
Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard and Caltech all required scores starting fall 2025.

Is Princeton requiring the SAT for fall 2027 applicants?
Princeton requires scores beginning with the 2027-28 admission cycle, which is fall 2028 entry, not fall 2027.

Does the score matter more than GPA on scholarship grids?
On the Mississippi State resident grid, GPA and ACT both move the number, and GPA moves it more at the top.

Is UNC Chapel Hill required or optional?
Our two tables do not say the same thing about UNC Chapel Hill. The policy table lists it as required for the 2026-2027 year and beyond.

Method and sources: The merit table comes from each college's own published scholarship grid, loaded into Reach's merit-scholarships tool, with dollar figures as of the date in each row and trimmed to 40 of the 80 grid rows we hold across 32 colleges. The policy table comes from Reach's 2026 Public University Test Policy Report, which checked 226 public universities and shows the first 60 of 81 published rows here. The results table counts students who completed our program, meaning 12 or more instruction hours and at least 80 percent homework completion, so students who stopped early are excluded and the figures are averages rather than promises. Rows are ordered by college and by score band, not ranked by quality. Three gaps stay open: the University of Virginia's own admissions site blocked our check, so it is not in the policy rows; we could not confirm from a primary source whether Florida's public universities ever had a test-optional window before the current Board of Governors regulation; and our policy table and our reinstatement research describe UNC Chapel Hill differently, one as required and one as optional with a GPA condition, which we report rather than resolve.