As of October 2026. Every number below is sourced; the list is at the end.
As of October 2026, the University of Pennsylvania requires a score. Its own testing page is direct: "Penn applicants are required to submit scores for the SAT or ACT. Applicants who face hardship in meeting this requirement can submit a waiver instead." Among first-years who enrolled, the middle half of SAT submitters scored 1500 to 1570, and the middle half of ACT submitters scored 34 to 35 (IPEDS, 2023). That is the band.
There is no decision to make here
At a test-optional college, a family weighs whether to send a score. At Penn there is nothing to weigh. The score goes in, and the only question is which test and when.
Penn says it has no favorite: "No preference is given to the SAT or the ACT. If an applicant submits both tests, we will pay attention to the higher score from either test." It also superscores the SAT, combining the highest Reading and Writing section with the highest Math section across sittings.
So a student can take the test that fits, and more than once.
Read the band correctly
Be careful with 1500 to 1570. That band describes enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT, not admitted students, and it is not a cutoff. Of enrolled first-years, 51% submitted an SAT and 19% submitted an ACT (IPEDS, 2023). Those shares come from a year when Penn was test-optional, so the band describes about half the class.
Penn admitted 5.9% of 59,465 applicants (IPEDS, 2023). Enrolled first-years averaged a 3.9 unweighted GPA, as Penn publishes it (2024-25).
Penn also states there is "no minimum score required to apply." Read that next to the admit rate. No score gets a student in by itself, and no single score locks a student out. The band tells you what the submitting half of the class looked like, and nothing more.
The deadline is the part parents miss
Penn publishes the last test dates it will accept for this cycle. For Early Decision, the last SAT is November 7, 2026 and the last ACT is October 17, 2026. For Regular Decision, the last SAT is December 5, 2026 and the last ACT is December 12, 2026.
Count backward from those dates. A student who has not started preparing and wants an Early Decision score has days, not months. A student aiming at Regular Decision still has a full window.
If your student is under the band
A 1400 is an excellent score almost anywhere. At Penn it sits under the middle half. Moving it takes 6 to 12 weeks of work, and it means preparing for the whole SAT or ACT every sitting, never one section at a time.
Here is what our own students average. Students who start above 1350 gain 120 points (1400 to 1520). Students who start at 1350 or below gain 190 (1210 to 1400). Among the students who start at 1350 or below, 63% gain 200 points or more. Published research puts a typical retest-with-prep gain near 30 SAT points (Briggs, 2009). The cohorts and the method are on our results page.
An average is not a promise. But the gap between a 1400 and Penn's band is a season of work, not a different student.
One more thing families should see before they rule Penn out on price. Penn's net price averages $28,699 a year for aid recipients against a full price of $89,028, and Penn's own aid pledge covers at least full tuition for families earning up to $200,000 with typical assets. The numbers sit on Penn's Reach page.
The move
This month, have your student sit one full-length practice SAT and one full-length practice ACT before choosing which exam to prepare for, because the better fit is usually obvious once both are on paper. Both mocks are free: prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. Then block 6 to 12 weeks on the calendar, work the whole test, and pick a sitting that lands before Penn's last accepted date. Or call 949.229.5359 and we will help you map it.
Questions parents ask
Is Penn test-optional, or does my child need a score?
Penn requires one. Its own testing page says Penn applicants are required to submit scores for the SAT or ACT, and that applicants who face hardship in meeting this requirement can submit a waiver instead.
What SAT score is high enough for Penn?
Enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT scored 1500 to 1570 in the middle half (IPEDS 2023). Penn also states there is no minimum score required to apply, so the band is what the submitting half of the class looked like, and nothing more.
How late can my senior take the test for Penn this year?
For Early Decision, the last SAT is November 7, 2026 and the last ACT is October 17, 2026. For Regular Decision, the last SAT is December 5, 2026 and the last ACT is December 12, 2026.
Written by Nick Standlea, founder of Test Prep Gurus. Updated October 2026.
Sources
- Reach, Penn college data: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania.json
- Penn Admissions, Testing: https://admissions.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/preparing-your-application/testing
- Penn Admissions, Application Requirements: https://admissions.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/first-year-applicants/application-requirements
- Reach, Test Prep Gurus score-improvement results: https://highschoolreach.com/test-prep-results