Does Minnesota require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

As of November 2026: The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities does not require the SAT or ACT for fall 2027 entry: it is test-optional for freshman applicants through the fall 2029 term, its published policy as of November 2026. The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1310 to 1480.

Minnesota is test-optional for fall 2027 entry. Here is what the score bands say and when we tell families to send a score.

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

Test-optional through fall 2029 Minnesota's admissions page says freshman applicants through the fall 2029 term are not required to send an ACT or SAT score.

An SAT band of 1310 to 1480 The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023 scored 1310 to 1480, and the ACT band was 27 to 31.

More students sent the ACT In fall 2023, 34 percent of enrolled first-years sent an ACT and 8 percent sent an SAT.

Minnesota's SAT and ACT policy

This is the test policy the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities publishes as of November 2026, in its own words.

College	Policy	Who it covers	What the college says	Source
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	Test-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'	Freshman applicants through the fall 2029 term are not required to submit an ACT or SAT test score.	Source

Test-optional means the university reads a score if one is sent, and no score is required.

Minnesota scores, odds and cost

These are the score bands, admit figures and prices for the fall 2023 class, the latest federal figures.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	39863
admits, fall 2023	30695
admit rate, percent	77.0
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1310
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1480
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	27
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	31
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	8
share who sent an ACT, percent	34
application fee, dollars	55
full price of a year, dollars	30061
average net price after aid, dollars	16778

Score bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in fall 2023, not every admitted student.

Does Minnesota require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

No -- the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is test-optional, and its admissions page says freshman applicants through the fall 2029 term are not required to send an ACT or SAT score.

That is the published policy as of November 2026. It covers high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027. It also covers juniors who are planning ahead right now. A separate freshman checklist page on the same site says the policy runs "through fall 2027." Either way, fall 2027 entry is covered.

Test-optional means the university reads a score if your child sends one, and no score is required. Our companion page, What SAT or ACT score do you need for Minnesota? (https://www.prepgurus.com/blog/sat-act-score-for-university-of-minnesota), goes deeper on scores.

Could the policy change before fall 2027?

The university's own ACT/SAT page names fall 2029 as the last term its test-optional rule covers, so fall 2027 sits inside the window it has published.

We will not guess at a rule the university has not stated. Colleges usually announce changes for the next cycle in the spring. We tell families to reread the admissions page each spring, and once more before your child hits submit. If the page changes, the term it names is the line to read.

What scores do enrolled first-years carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1310 to 1480, and the middle half who sent an ACT scored 27 to 31.

These numbers come from the fall 2023 class, the latest federal figures. They describe students who enrolled and chose to send a score. A quarter of those students scored below the band, and a quarter scored above it. The band is not a cutoff.

Only 8 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT, and 34 percent sent an ACT. So the ACT band rests on more students than the SAT band. For fall 2023, the university admitted 30,695 of 39,863 applicants, an admit rate of 77 percent.

For cost, the application fee is $55. The full price of a year is $30,061, and the average net price after aid is $16,778. The university publishes a net price calculator, as every US college must, and you can run your own family's numbers on it at home.

Should my child send a score to Minnesota?

Our rule for Minnesota is simple: an SAT at or above 1310, or an ACT at or above 27, is a score to send, and a score below that is one to think hard about.

We tell families it is nearly always good to have a strong score in hand, because a strong score bolsters the odds of getting in. Sending it is still a choice, and the bands help you make it.

The university says your child marks on the application whether a score should be considered, and that choice is final once submitted. The university states that scholarship and Honors program eligibility are unaffected by whether a score is considered. So we tell families to settle the score question before the application goes in, with your child's latest official score in front of you.

What should we do this month?

Have your child sit a full-length mock SAT and a full-length mock ACT this month, then compare each result with the bands of 1310 to 1480 and 27 to 31.

Our students do best when they plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. If the better result already sits inside or above its band, that prep is about holding steady and pushing higher. If it sits below, give the prep the full 6 to 12 weeks and test again. Either way, prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just the section that felt weak.

We offer a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT at Test Prep Gurus. Call us at 949.229.5359, or start at https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step.

Questions parents ask

Does Minnesota require an SAT or ACT score for fall 2027?
No -- the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is test-optional, and its admissions page says freshman applicants through the fall 2029 term are not required to send an ACT or SAT score.

What SAT and ACT scores do students at Minnesota have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1310 to 1480, and the middle half who sent an ACT scored 27 to 31.

Can my child change their mind about using a score after applying?
The university says your child marks on the application whether a score should be considered, and that choice is final once submitted.

Does sending a score affect scholarships at Minnesota?
The university states that scholarship and Honors program eligibility are unaffected by whether a score is considered.

How long should my child prepare for the SAT or ACT?
Our students do best when they 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 comes from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' own ACT/SAT page, which names fall 2029 as the last term the test-optional rule covers; a separate checklist page on the same site says through fall 2027. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in fall 2023, the latest federal figures, and say nothing about students who did not send a score. Applicant, admit and score-sending figures also come from IPEDS for fall 2023, and prices come from the College Scorecard.