Harvard admissions to again require SAT or ACT scores in applications

Harvard University on Thursday announced that it would again require applicants to submit either their SAT or ACT scores, starting with the class of 2029.

The university had previously indicated it would not require scores through the class of 2030, the Harvard Crimson noted. Applicants must submit scores from either exam or, in limited circumstances barring an applicant's access to either one, the school will accept Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam scores.

"[S]tandardized tests are a means for all students, regardless of their background and life experience, to provide information that is predictive of success in college and beyond," Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi E. Hoekstra said. "More information, especially such strongly predictive information, is valuable for identifying talent from across the socioeconomic range... With this change, we hope to strengthen our ability to identify these promising students."

Harvard's move follows that of Ivy League rival Yale University, which reinstituted standardized testing in February. Both universities had implemented test-optional policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Yale, in February, contended that "inviting students to apply without any test scores can, inadvertently, disadvantage students from low-income, first-generation, and rural backgrounds."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.