Which colleges require an SAT or ACT score?

First is Harvard University at 3.6%. The 50 colleges listed are ranked on the figure the college reported to the US Department of Education, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. The last place shown, number 50, is University of Central Oklahoma at 78.1%.

Does this say anything about how good these colleges are?

No. This page orders colleges on one number a college reported to the federal government. It is not a quality ranking, it carries no survey, no reputation score and no weighting, and it says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. A cheaper college is not a better college and a more selective one is not either. It also states no admission probability, because none can be derived from public data.

Can I see what essays these colleges ask for?

10 of the 50 colleges in this table have a NudgeEssay requirements page carrying their 2026-27 essay prompts word for word, with word limits, application deadlines and the date each was read on the college's own admissions site. Those college names in the table are links. The rest are in the federal file but not in our prompt dataset, so each of their names links to its federal record instead.

Colleges that require an SAT or ACT score

74 of the 1,564 four-year US colleges in this set told the federal admissions survey that an admission test score is required. Every one of them also reports an admit rate, and the table below is the 50 most selective, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. These colleges answered "required" when the federal admissions survey asked whether admission test scores are required for entry. A college can change this between cycles and several have, so check the college's own admissions page before you decide not to test.

The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted. Every figure on this page is computed from the federal file when the page is built. See the method below for which colleges are counted and what each number is.

Updated 17 September 2026. Written and maintained by NudgeEssay; how facts on this site are sourced and corrected is on the about page.

The 50 colleges

Ranked on admit rate, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. 10 of the 50 have a NudgeEssay page carrying their essay prompts word for word, and those names are links. A dash means the federal file carries no figure for that college, not a zero.

Colleges that require an SAT or ACT score
#	College	Where	Admit rate	Average SAT
1	Harvard University	Cambridge, MAPrivate nonprofit	3.6%	1,553
2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge, MAPrivate nonprofit	4.5%	1,560
3	College of the Ozarks	Point Lookout, MOPrivate nonprofit	12.0%	1,118
4	United States Military Academy	West Point, NYPublic	12.4%	1,355
5	Georgetown University	Washington, DCPrivate nonprofit	12.9%	1,487
6	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	Atlanta, GAPublic	14.1%	1,480
7	United States Air Force Academy	USAF Academy, COPublic	14.1%	1,350
8	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University	Tallahassee, FLPublic	20.6%	1,107
9	University of Florida	Gainesville, FLPublic	24.2%	1,403
10	Florida State University	Tallahassee, FLPublic	24.2%	1,361
11	United States Merchant Marine Academy	Kings Point, NYPublic	34.2%	1,207
12	University of Georgia	Athens, GAPublic	37.7%	1,397
13	University of Central Florida	Orlando, FLPublic	40.1%	1,269
14	University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff	Pine Bluff, ARPublic	41.2%	922
15	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	Knoxville, TNPublic	41.6%	1,311
16	University of South Florida	Tampa, FLPublic	43.2%	1,227
17	Texas A & M International University	Laredo, TXPublic	44.4%	993
18	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology	Socorro, NMPublic	44.5%	1,207
19	Alcorn State University	Alcorn State, MSPublic	45.3%	904
20	Brigham Young University-Hawaii	Laie, HIPrivate nonprofit	47.0%	1,130
21	Purdue University-Main Campus	West Lafayette, INPublic	49.9%	1,364
22	University of West Georgia	Carrollton, GAPublic	51.6%	1,032
23	University of Connecticut	Storrs, CTPublic	52.4%	1,348
24	University of Puerto Rico at Cayey	Cayey, PRPublic	53.0%	955
25	University of North Florida	Jacksonville, FLPublic	53.2%	1,153
26	Florida International University	Miami, FLPublic	54.7%	1,163
27	The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary	Louisville, KYPrivate nonprofit	55.9%	1,120
28	Florida Polytechnic University	Lakeland, FLPublic	57.5%	1,268
29	Florida Institute of Technology	Melbourne, FLPrivate nonprofit	57.7%	1,225
30	Gallaudet University	Washington, DCPrivate nonprofit	58.1%	868
31	University of West Florida	Pensacola, FLPublic	58.2%	1,138
32	University of Arkansas at Little Rock	Little Rock, ARPublic	58.8%	1,049
33	William Carey University	Hattiesburg, MSPrivate nonprofit	60.3%	1,122
34	University of Florida-Online	Gainesville, FLPublic	61.3%	1,338
35	Florida Gulf Coast University	Fort Myers, FLPublic	63.4%	1,114
36	Central Baptist College	Conway, ARPrivate nonprofit	63.5%	1,046
37	Northwestern Oklahoma State University	Alva, OKPublic	65.5%	1,003
38	Florida Atlantic University	Boca Raton, FLPublic	66.1%	1,127
39	Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary	Ankeny, IAPrivate nonprofit	67.5%	1,109
40	Middle Tennessee State University	Murfreesboro, TNPublic	69.1%	1,121
41	Florida College	Temple Terrace, FLPrivate nonprofit	69.7%	1,108
42	Tennessee State University	Nashville, TNPublic	70.1%	1,000
43	Harding University	Searcy, ARPrivate nonprofit	70.5%	1,182
44	Maranatha Baptist University	Watertown, WIPrivate nonprofit	71.9%	1,170
45	University of Memphis	Memphis, TNPublic	72.0%	1,088
46	Valdosta State University	Valdosta, GAPublic	72.3%	1,013
47	New College of Florida	Sarasota, FLPublic	73.2%	1,150
48	Southern Arkansas University Main Campus	Magnolia, ARPublic	75.3%	1,047
49	Patrick Henry College	Purcellville, VAPrivate nonprofit	77.4%	1,352
50	University of Central Oklahoma	Edmond, OKPublic	78.1%	1,090

Method

Source: the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data, pulled on 2026-09-17 from the bulk download. Every college in it reports these figures to the US Department of Education itself.

ADMCON7 is the IPEDS admissions survey field recording whether a college requires admission test scores. This page reports the answer the college gave, not a policy we have verified. The admit rate is admitted divided by applied for one entering class, as the college reported it to the US Department of Education. It is a count, not a judgment: a small admit rate says a college turned most applicants away, and says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit.

Counted: the federal file carries 1,944 institutions under the filter PREDDEG=3 (bachelor-predominant) AND CURROPER=1 (operating). 1,564 are used on this page family. 144 private for-profit institutions are excluded, and 236 reporting fewer than 250 undergraduates are excluded, because at that size a reported admit rate describes a small specialised applicant pool rather than selectivity. 74 met this page’s criteria and the table shows the top 50.

147 colleges in the pool left this survey field blank in the federal file and appear on none of the three survey pages.

The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted. No admission probability is stated anywhere on this site, because none can be derived from public data: colleges do not publish admit rates conditional on a score, so any single percentage would be invented. The free chance me tool and college finder sort a list into reaches, targets and likelies from the same federal figures and give no percentage either.

The federal file behind this family carries no earnings column, so no list here says anything about what graduates are paid. Rather than estimate one, this site says what is missing. What one named college costs after aid, income band by income band, is on its own page in the cost family. Our own essay dataset, which is a different source, is described on the supplemental essay data page.

Questions

Which colleges require an SAT or ACT score?: First is Harvard University at 3.6%. The 50 colleges listed are ranked on the figure the college reported to the US Department of Education, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. The last place shown, number 50, is University of Central Oklahoma at 78.1%.
Where does this ranking come from?: From the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data, pulled on 2026-09-17. ADMCON7 is the IPEDS admissions survey field recording whether a college requires admission test scores. This page reports the answer the college gave, not a policy we have verified. The admit rate is admitted divided by applied for one entering class, as the college reported it to the US Department of Education. It is a count, not a judgment: a small admit rate says a college turned most applicants away, and says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted.
Which colleges are counted and which are left out?: The federal file carries 1,944 institutions under the filter PREDDEG=3 (bachelor-predominant) AND CURROPER=1 (operating). 1,564 are used here: 144 private for-profit institutions and 236 with fewer than 250 undergraduates are excluded, because at that size a reported admit rate describes a small specialised applicant pool rather than selectivity. 74 of those met this page's criteria and the table shows the top 50. 147 colleges in the pool left this survey field blank in the federal file and appear on none of the three survey pages.
Does this say anything about how good these colleges are?: No. This page orders colleges on one number a college reported to the federal government. It is not a quality ranking, it carries no survey, no reputation score and no weighting, and it says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. A cheaper college is not a better college and a more selective one is not either. It also states no admission probability, because none can be derived from public data.
Can I see what essays these colleges ask for?: 10 of the 50 colleges in this table have a NudgeEssay requirements page carrying their 2026-27 essay prompts word for word, with word limits, application deadlines and the date each was read on the college's own admissions site. Those college names in the table are links. The rest are in the federal file but not in our prompt dataset, so each of their names links to its federal record instead.

The other rankings in this set

All computed from the same federal file, pulled on 2026-09-17, with the same pool and the same exclusions.

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