Does the University of Delaware require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

As of November 2026: The University of Delaware is test-optional for current first-year admissions -- SAT and ACT scores are 'Considered if submitted' -- and this is the published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated. Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023, the middle half scored between 1200 and 1360.

The University of Delaware reads an SAT or ACT score if your child sends one. Here is the policy, what the score bands mean and what we tell families to do this month.

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

Scores are optional, and 65.1 percent got in The University of Delaware considers SAT and ACT scores if they are sent. For fall 2023, it admitted 24,536 of 37,690 applicants, an admit rate of 65.1 percent.

The SAT band runs from 1200 to 1360 The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1200 and 1360. On the ACT, the middle half of submitters scored between 27 and 31.

Only 24 percent sent an SAT Among enrolled first-years in fall 2023, 24 percent sent an SAT and 3 percent sent an ACT. The bands describe only those students.

What is the University of Delaware's test policy?

This is the test policy for first-year applicants as it stands in November 2026.

College	Policy	Applies to	Published wording	Source
University of Delaware	Test-optional	current first-year admissions	SAT/ACT Scores Considered if submitted	Source

Test-optional means a score is read if one is sent. The wording is from the university's College Board BigFuture profile.

What do the scores, odds and prices look like?

Score bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in fall 2023. Prices are for a year of college.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	37690
admits, fall 2023	24536
admit rate, percent	65.1
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1200
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1360
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	27
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	31
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	24
share who sent an ACT, percent	3
application fee, dollars	75
full price of a year, dollars	30952
average net price after aid, dollars	17799

The bands cover only enrolled first-years who chose to send a score in fall 2023.

Does the University of Delaware require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

No, the University of Delaware does not require the SAT or ACT under its published policy as of November 2026, which covers current first-year admissions. Its College Board BigFuture profile puts it in these words: 'SAT/ACT Scores Considered if submitted.' That makes the University of Delaware test-optional, with no end date stated.

This page is for high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027, and for juniors planning ahead. The wording we quote comes from the College Board profile, not from the university's own admissions site. Before your child applies, open the university's admissions page and read the test policy there yourself.

When you want the score side in more depth, our companion page, What SAT or ACT score do you need for the University of Delaware? (https://www.prepgurus.com/blog/sat-act-score-for-university-of-delaware), walks through it step by step.

Could the policy change before fall 2027?

The University of Delaware's test-optional rule is the published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated. We cannot promise what the rule will be for students who start in fall 2027, because no rule for that cycle is published beyond the policy in place today.

Colleges usually announce changes for the next cycle in the spring. Our rule is simple: plan as if a score could help, and read the university's admissions page again each spring and right before your child submits. A family that already has a strong score loses nothing if the rule stays the same, and is ready if it changes.

What scores do enrolled first-years carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023 scored between 1200 and 1360. On the ACT, the middle half of submitters scored between 27 and 31. A quarter of enrolled first-years who sent a score sat below the bottom of each band, and a quarter sat above the top.

Keep in mind who these numbers describe. They cover only enrolled first-years who chose to send a score, and that was a small group: 24 percent sent an SAT and 3 percent sent an ACT. The bands are not a cutoff and they are not a minimum. They are a picture of the students who enrolled and sent a score.

For fall 2023, the University of Delaware had 37,690 applicants and admitted 24,536, an admit rate of 65.1 percent.

Should my child send a score to the University of Delaware?

Send a score to the University of Delaware if it sits inside or above the SAT band of 1200 to 1360 or the ACT band of 27 to 31. The University of Delaware is test-optional, so sending a score is a choice your family makes.

At a test-optional college where not every applicant gets in, we tell families it is nearly always good to have a score. A strong score bolsters the odds of getting in, and most merit scholarships are keyed to one.

Our rule for the choice itself is plain. A score inside or above the band is one to send. A score below the band is one to think hard about, because it sits under the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent a score. In that case, your child can retake the test, or apply without a score and let the rest of the application stand on its own.

What should we do this month?

This month, have your child sit a free full-length mock SAT and a free full-length mock ACT at Test Prep Gurus; call us at 949.229.5359 or start at https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. Compare each result with the University of Delaware bands of 1200 to 1360 on the SAT and 27 to 31 on the ACT, and pick the test that fits your child better.

We plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. Our students prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just one section, so each score they bring home is a full and honest picture of what they can do.

While your child preps, look at cost too. The full price of a year is listed at $30,952, and the average net price after aid is $17,799. The application fee is $75. The university publishes a net price calculator, and running it with your own family's numbers gives you a closer figure.

Questions parents ask

Does the University of Delaware require an SAT or ACT score?
No, the University of Delaware does not require the SAT or ACT under its published policy as of November 2026, which covers current first-year admissions.

Is the University of Delaware test-optional?
The University of Delaware is test-optional, so sending a score is a choice your family makes.

What SAT scores do enrolled students have at the University of Delaware?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023 scored between 1200 and 1360.

Could the University of Delaware change its test policy?
Colleges usually announce changes for the next cycle in the spring.

How long should my child prepare for the SAT or ACT?
We plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts.

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 the University of Delaware's first-year test policy as shown on its College Board BigFuture admissions profile, which says 'SAT/ACT Scores Considered if submitted' for current first-year admissions; it is not quoted from the university's own admissions site, so families should confirm it there. The SAT and ACT bands describe the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent that test in fall 2023, the latest federal IPEDS release, so they leave out students who sent no score. Applicant and admit counts come from IPEDS, and prices come from the College Scorecard.