Does the University of South Florida require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

As of November 2026: Yes. The University of South Florida requires freshman applicants to send official SAT, ACT or CLT results for Fall 2026 and other terms, and that is its published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated. The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1140 and 1330.

The University of South Florida requires a test score from every freshman applicant. Here is the rule, the score bands, the deadlines and what your family can do this month.

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

A score is required for Fall 2026 and other terms The University of South Florida requires freshman applicants to send official SAT, ACT or CLT results. That is its published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated.

The SAT middle half is 1140 to 1330 Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT in fall 2023, the middle half scored between 1140 and 1330. On the ACT, the middle half scored between 24 and 29.

41 percent of applicants were admitted For fall 2023, the university had 65,187 applicants and admitted 26,727, an admit rate of 41 percent.

Does the University of South Florida require the SAT or ACT?

This is the policy the university publishes on its own admissions page as of November 2026.

College	Policy	Term covered	In the university's words	Source
University of South Florida	Required	Fall 2026 and other terms (Fall/Summer/Spring all reviewed under the Fall cycle)	USF requires freshman applicants to submit official results for at least one college entrance exam (SAT, ACT or CLT).	Source

Required means a score must be sent with the application.

The University of South Florida: score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, what it costs

Score bands describe enrolled first-years who sent that test in the fall 2023 class. Prices come from the College Scorecard.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	65187
admits, fall 2023	26727
admit rate, percent	41.0
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1140
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1330
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	24
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	29
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	75
share who sent an ACT, percent	25
application fee, dollars	30
full price of a year, dollars	22859
average net price after aid, dollars	9812

The middle half of submitters sits inside each band; a quarter scored below it.

When are the University of South Florida deadlines for fall 2027 entry?

These are the dates the university lists on its own deadlines page.

College	Early action	Regular decision	In the university's words	Source
University of South Florida	2026-11-02	2026-12-16	Early Action: November 2, 2026 ... Regular Decision: December 16, 2026	Source

Early decision and priority dates are not listed.

Does the University of South Florida require the SAT or ACT in 2027?

Yes, the University of South Florida requires every freshman applicant to send an official SAT, ACT or CLT score. Its admissions page says, "USF requires freshman applicants to submit official results for at least one college entrance exam (SAT, ACT or CLT)." The rule covers Fall 2026 and other terms, and summer and spring entry are reviewed under the fall cycle. That is the published policy as of November 2026, with no end date stated.

No, the University of South Florida is not test-optional for freshman applicants. We wrote this page for high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027, and for juniors planning ahead. For a closer look at the scores, see our companion page, What SAT or ACT score do you need for the University of South Florida? at https://www.prepgurus.com/blog/sat-act-score-for-university-of-south-florida.

Could the policy change before fall 2027?

The University of South Florida has published its rule for Fall 2026 and other terms with no end date stated, so we plan as if a score is required for fall 2027. 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 themselves each spring. Until the page says otherwise, plan for a required score. A family that prepares for a required test loses nothing if a rule changes later.

What scores do enrolled first-years carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1140 and 1330. On the ACT, the middle half of submitters scored between 24 and 29. A quarter of submitters scored below each band, and a quarter scored above it.

These figures come from the fall 2023 class, the latest federal figures. In that class, 75 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT and 25 percent sent an ACT. That same fall, the university had 65,187 applicants and admitted 26,727, an admit rate of 41 percent.

On cost, the full price of a year is listed at $22,859, and the average net price after aid is $9,812. The university publishes a net price calculator, and we tell families to run it with their own numbers.

Should my child send a score to the University of South Florida?

Every applicant to the University of South Florida sends a score, so the question is only how strong it is. Our rule is simple. A score inside or above the 1140 to 1330 SAT band, or the 24 to 29 ACT band, is one to send with confidence.

A score below the band still has to go in. We tell families to treat it as a reason to prepare and sit again before the deadline, not as a reason to skip the application. Our students often find that one test fits them better than the other, so we suggest trying both before choosing.

When are the deadlines?

The regular decision deadline for fall 2027 entry is December 16, 2026. Early action closed on November 2, 2026. No early decision or priority date is listed for this cycle. The application fee is $30.

Because the university asks for official results, we tell seniors to pick a test date that lets scores arrive before December 16 and to send them as soon as they are ready. Juniors have a full year to plan, which gives them room for steady prep and more than one sitting.

What should we do this month?

Sit a full-length mock SAT and a full-length mock ACT this month, free at Test Prep Gurus, and compare each result with the 1140 to 1330 SAT band and the 24 to 29 ACT band. That comparison tells your family which test to choose and how far there is to go.

Our rule is 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. Prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just the section that felt weakest last time. Our students do best when they practice under real timing and review every mistake.

To book your free mock SAT or free mock ACT, call us at 949.229.5359 or visit https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. We will help you read the results and build a plan around your dates.

Questions parents ask

Does the University of South Florida require the SAT or ACT?
Yes, the University of South Florida requires every freshman applicant to send an official SAT, ACT or CLT score.

Is the University of South Florida test-optional?
No, the University of South Florida is not test-optional for freshman applicants.

What SAT scores do enrolled first-years at the University of South Florida have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1140 and 1330.

When is the University of South Florida regular decision deadline?
The regular decision deadline for fall 2027 entry is December 16, 2026.

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 one the University of South Florida publishes on its own admissions page, which names Fall 2026 and other terms and states no end date as of November 2026. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in fall 2023, the latest federal file, along with applicant and admit counts from the same year. Prices come from the College Scorecard, and deadlines come from the university's own deadlines page.