What SAT or ACT score do you need for UChicago?

As of November 2026: UChicago is test-optional for the current application cycle, and the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1510 to 1570. On the ACT, the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent a score landed at 34 to 35.

UChicago is test-optional, and the enrolled first-years who sent a score sit near the top of the scale. Here is what the bands mean and what we tell families to do.

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

UChicago is test-optional, and its score band is high UChicago does not require the SAT or ACT this cycle, but the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1510 to 1570, and the ACT band is 34 to 35.

A large share of the class sent a score In fall 2023, 46 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT and 30 percent sent an ACT.

Getting in is very hard UChicago admitted 4.48 percent of applicants for the fall 2025 entering class and 4.8 percent for fall 2023.

Does UChicago require the SAT or ACT?

The testing policy as UChicago states it on its own admissions page.

Policy	Applies to	In the college's words	Source
optional	current application cycle (all applicants)	Submitting an SAT or ACT is optional and not required for admission.	Source

Optional means the college reads a score if one is sent. Required means a score must be sent. Blind means scores are not read at all.

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

Score bands and shares describe enrolled first-years in fall 2023. Prices are from the College Scorecard.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	38631
admits, fall 2023	1854
admit rate, percent	4.8
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1510
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	46
share who sent an ACT, percent	30
application fee, dollars	75
full price of a year, dollars	90360
average net price after aid, dollars	14860

Bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in the fall 2023 class, the latest federal release. They are not cutoffs.

UChicago: early decision versus the overall rate

Applicants and admits for the fall 2025 entering class, from the college's Common Data Set.

Total applicants	Total admits	Overall admit rate, percent
45,533	2,039	4.48

UChicago offers early decision but does not publish its early decision applicant or admit counts.

Does UChicago require the SAT or ACT?

No, UChicago does not require the SAT or ACT for the current application cycle. In other words, UChicago is test-optional for all applicants. The college's own admissions page puts it this way: "Submitting an SAT or ACT is optional and not required for admission."

Test-optional means the college will read a score if your child chooses to send one. It is not the same as test-blind, where scores are not read at all. So a score is still a real part of the choice your family makes.

For high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027, this is the policy that stands today. We tell families to check the admissions page again before they submit, since it is the place the college states its rules.

What SAT score do enrolled first-years at UChicago carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1510 and 1570. These are students who started at UChicago in fall 2023, which is the most recent class the federal government reports.

This band is not a cutoff, and it does not describe admitted students. It describes students who enrolled and chose to send an SAT. Some of them scored above 1570, and some scored below 1510.

For planning, we treat 1510 as the low edge of the band and 1570 as the high edge. A score inside that range, or above it, puts your child right alongside the students who enrolled.

What ACT score do enrolled first-years at UChicago carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored a 34 or a 35. That is a very narrow band, and it sits near the top of the scale.

As with the SAT, these students entered in fall 2023 and chose to send an ACT. The band does not tell you the lowest score anyone had. It tells you where the middle of the group landed.

Our students often take a mock of each test before they pick one. Some find the ACT pace suits them, and some do better on the SAT. UChicago takes either test, so we tell families to pick the one where their child scores higher.

How many UChicago students send a score?

In fall 2023, 46 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT and 30 percent sent an ACT. Those are large shares at a college where sending a score is a choice.

Some students send both tests, so we do not add these shares together. What the numbers do show is that a score on file is common among students who enroll at UChicago, even with a test-optional policy.

Should my child send a score to UChicago?

Our rule is simple: if your child's score is inside or above the band -- 1510 to 1570 on the SAT, or 34 to 35 on the ACT -- send it. We tell families that at a selective test-optional college like UChicago, 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.

If the score sits below 1510 on the SAT or below 34 on the ACT, think hard before sending it. In that case, we would usually rather see a student prepare and retest than settle.

A test-optional policy means your child can apply without a score. Our advice is to give the score a real chance first, with steady prep and a full practice test, before deciding to leave it off.

How hard is it to get into UChicago?

UChicago admitted 4.8 percent of applicants for fall 2023, with 1,854 admits out of 38,631 applicants. For the fall 2025 entering class, 45,533 students applied and 2,039 were admitted, an overall rate of 4.48 percent.

UChicago offers early decision, but it does not publish how many early decision applicants it admits. So we cannot tell you how the early round compares with the overall rate.

At an admit rate this low, a strong score is one of the parts of the application your child can still improve this year. That is why we push for real prep, not a quick cram the week before.

What does it cost to apply to and attend UChicago?

The application fee at UChicago is $75. The full price of a year at UChicago is $90,360, and the average net price after aid is $14,860.

The average net price is what families pay on average once grants and scholarships come off. Your own number could be higher or lower. UChicago, like every US college, publishes a net price calculator, and we tell families to run it with their own tax figures early in the fall.

Since most merit scholarships are keyed to a score, we tell families that a strong result can matter for cost as well as for admission.

What should we do this month?

Start this month with a free full-length mock SAT and a free full-length mock ACT from Test Prep Gurus. Take them under real timing, on a quiet morning, from start to finish.

Then compare the results with the UChicago bands: 1510 to 1570 on the SAT and 34 to 35 on the ACT. If your child is inside or above a band, plan to send that score. If your child is below, pick the test with the better result and build a plan.

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 went worst last time. To book the free mock SAT and free mock ACT, call us at 949.229.5359 or visit https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step.

Questions parents ask

Does UChicago require the SAT or ACT?
No, UChicago does not require the SAT or ACT for the current application cycle.

Is UChicago test-optional?
In other words, UChicago is test-optional for all applicants.

What SAT score do UChicago students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1510 and 1570.

What ACT score do UChicago students have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored a 34 or a 35.

Should my child send a score to UChicago?
Our rule is simple: if your child's score is inside or above the band -- 1510 to 1570 on the SAT, or 34 to 35 on the ACT -- send it.

How much does UChicago cost?
The full price of a year at UChicago is $90,360, and the average net price after aid is $14,860.

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 testing policy is UChicago's own statement on its admissions page, and it applies to the current application cycle for all applicants. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in fall 2023, the latest federal release, so they do not describe admitted students or a cutoff. The fall 2025 applicant and admit counts come from the college's Common Data Set, which leaves its early decision counts blank. Prices come from the federal College Scorecard.