Columbia University is putting standardized tests back on the table. The school announced Friday that applicants to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will once again be required to submit SAT or ACT scores, ending its stint as the Ivy League’s lone test-optional holdout and sending a lot of New York City juniors scrambling for prep books.
As first reported by Crain's New York Business, Columbia posted the update on its website Friday, and the news quickly spread through national higher-ed circles. The move effectively caps a pandemic-era experiment across elite campuses and pulls standardized exams back into the center of the admissions conversation.
What Columbia’s Policy Said Before
On its testing page, Columbia Undergraduate Admissions had described SAT and ACT scores as optional since the pandemic, stressing that an internal review showed going test-optional did not weaken the academic performance of admitted students. The university framed scores as just one part of a broader, holistic review of each applicant, even as Friday’s update signals that future classes will face a firmer requirement.
Why the Shift Matters
For New York City students eyeing Columbia, the policy change could blow up carefully laid junior-year plans. Teens who skipped SAT or ACT prep, banking on test-optional policies, may now be looking at a hurried round of summer and fall testing, plus potential retakes, to stay competitive.
Critics and access advocates have long argued that standardized tests can magnify existing inequities, especially when some students can afford extensive tutoring and multiple attempts while others cannot. The National Center for Fair & Open Testing has repeatedly warned that heavy reliance on SAT and ACT scores risks sidelining talented students who lack those advantages, even as many colleges kept or adopted test-optional policies after the pandemic.
Where the Ivies Stand
According to College Help Guide, most of Columbia’s Ivy League peers had already brought back testing requirements for upcoming admissions cycles, leaving Columbia as the last test-optional outlier until Friday’s announcement.
Applicant guides and Columbia Spectator, the university’s student newspaper, had previously chronicled Columbia’s decision to stay indefinitely test-optional. The new post on Columbia’s site effectively wipes away that distinction and puts the school back in step with the broader Ivy pack.
Next Steps for Applicants
Students aiming for a spot at Columbia are being urged to keep a close eye on the university’s official admissions pages for exact timelines and any program-specific testing rules. Counselors say the practical move now is to lock in test dates, build in time for a possible second try, and coordinate prep around schoolwork and extracurriculars.
To soften the financial hit, advisers recommend using available fee waivers, school-day SAT or ACT administrations, and in-school counseling resources wherever possible. As Columbia shifts its stance, students and counselors across the city will likely be retooling application strategies in real time.
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