Does Columbia require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

As of November 2026: No, Columbia does not require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027 applicants: Columbia College and Columbia Engineering are test optional for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle, the published policy as of November 2026. Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023, the middle half scored 1490 to 1570.

Columbia is test optional for seniors applying this school year, requires a score for students who enroll in fall 2028, and draws a very strong group of score senders.

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

Test optional for fall 2027, required for fall 2028 Columbia College and Columbia Engineering stay test optional for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle, and Columbia has published that scores will be required from the 2027-2028 cycle.

The middle SAT band is 1490 to 1570 Enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023 had a middle half of 1490 to 1570, and on the ACT the middle half was 34 to 35.

Columbia admitted 4.2 percent Columbia admitted 2,420 of its 57,613 applicants for fall 2023, an admit rate of 4.2 percent.

Does Columbia require the SAT or ACT?

Columbia's published testing policy, in its own words.

College	Policy	Applies to	Announced change	In Columbia's words	Source
Columbia University in the City of New York	optional	fall 2027 applicants (2026-2027 cycle)	required from the 2027-2028 cycle (students enrolling fall 2028)	Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will remain test optional for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle.	Source

Optional means a score may be sent or left off. Required means a score must be sent.

Columbia: score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, what it costs

Scores, odds and prices for Columbia's fall 2023 first-year class.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	57613
admits, fall 2023	2420
admit rate, percent	4.2
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1490
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1570
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	34
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	35
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	40
share who sent an ACT, percent	21
application fee, dollars	85
full price of a year, dollars	89472
average net price after aid, dollars	21590

Score bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in fall 2023, not all applicants or admits.

Columbia deadlines for fall 2027 entry

Application dates for students who start college in fall 2027.

College	Early decision	Regular	Where to check
Columbia University in the City of New York	--	--	Source

A blank date is not reported here. Check Columbia's admissions site for current dates.

Does Columbia require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

No, Columbia does not require the SAT or ACT for students applying in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027. In Columbia's own words, "Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will remain test optional for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle." That is the published policy as of November 2026.

Test optional means your child may send an SAT or ACT score or leave it off. Either choice is allowed. The choice is yours to make as a family, and the rest of this page is about making it well.

If you want a closer look at the scores, we wrote a companion page called "What SAT or ACT score do you need for Columbia?" You can read it at https://www.prepgurus.com/blog/sat-act-score-for-columbia.

Could the policy change before fall 2027?

Columbia's published policy keeps the 2026-2027 cycle test optional, and the change it has announced starts with the 2027-2028 cycle, for students who enroll in fall 2028. Columbia will require an SAT or ACT score from students who apply in the 2027-28 school year and start college in fall 2028.

That matters most for juniors. If your child is a high school junior in the 2026-27 school year, a score is part of the plan, not a maybe.

Colleges usually announce changes for the next cycle in the spring. We tell families to check Columbia's testing page themselves each spring, so nothing comes as a surprise.

What scores do enrolled first-years carry?

Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023, the middle half scored 1490 to 1570, and on the ACT the middle half scored 34 to 35. These bands describe students who enrolled and chose to send a score. They do not describe everyone who applied or got in. The middle half of submitters sits inside the band, and a quarter scored below it.

Not every enrolled first-year sent a score. Of enrolled first-years, 40 percent sent an SAT and 21 percent sent an ACT.

The odds are long for every applicant. Columbia had 57,613 applicants for fall 2023 and admitted 2,420, an admit rate of 4.2 percent. The application fee is $85. A full year is priced at $89,472, and the average net price after aid is $21,590. Columbia publishes a net price calculator, as every US college must, and we tell families to run it with their own numbers.

Should my child send a score to Columbia?

Our rule is simple: a score inside or above the 1490 to 1570 SAT band, or the 34 to 35 ACT band, is one to send. A score below the band at a test-optional college like Columbia is one to think hard about. We sit down with the family, look at the whole application, and decide together.

We tell families that at a selective test-optional college like Columbia it is nearly always good to have a score, because a strong score bolsters the odds of getting in and most merit scholarships are keyed to one. That is our advice, not a Columbia rule.

A score also keeps doors open. A student who tests now has a score ready for every college on the list, including the ones that require it.

When are the deadlines?

Columbia's dates for fall 2027 entry are not listed here, so look them up yourself on Columbia's admissions site at https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/.

Once you have the dates, work backward. Pick a test date that leaves time for the score to come back before your child's application round. Then plan the prep that comes before that test date.

What should we do this month?

Sit a full-length free mock SAT and a full-length free mock ACT with Test Prep Gurus this month, then compare each result with Columbia's bands of 1490 to 1570 on the SAT and 34 to 35 on the ACT. The test that feels better is often the one to focus on.

Plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. Prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just the part that went wrong last time. Our students who work this way walk in calm and know what to expect.

To book a free mock SAT or a free mock ACT, call us at 949.229.5359 or go to https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step.

Questions parents ask

Does Columbia require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027?
No, Columbia does not require the SAT or ACT for students applying in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027.

Will Columbia require a score for fall 2028 entry?
Columbia will require an SAT or ACT score from students who apply in the 2027-28 school year and start college in fall 2028.

What SAT and ACT scores do Columbia's enrolled first-years have?
Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023, the middle half scored 1490 to 1570, and on the ACT the middle half scored 34 to 35.

Should my child send a score to Columbia?
Our rule is simple: a score inside or above the 1490 to 1570 SAT band, or the 34 to 35 ACT band, is one to send.

Ready to plan the next test date? Free mock SAT and free mock ACT at Test Prep Gurus, then a plan built on the result: prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step or 949.229.5359.

Method and sources: The policy is taken from Columbia's own admissions page, which names the 2026-2027 admissions cycle as test optional and states that scores are required from the 2027-2028 cycle. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in fall 2023, the latest federal IPEDS data, so they do not describe all applicants or all admits. Prices come from the College Scorecard and show the full price of a year and the average net price after aid.