4 Georgia Universities Reinstate SAT/ACT Requirement

• Augusta University, Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, and Kennesaw State University will reinstate SAT and ACT requirements starting in the fall of 2026.
• The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted May 14 to reinstate standardized testing at the four schools, according to The Associated Press.
• Many colleges and universities across the U.S. removed these test requirements for admission during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Several colleges, including some selective and Ivy League schools such as Dartmouth College, have reinstated standardized test requirements.

Four Georgia universities are the latest to reverse their test-optional admissions policies. Many colleges removed standardized test requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Associated Press reported that the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved SAT and ACT submission requirements for admissions at Augusta University, Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, and Kennesaw State University on May 14.

However, the testing requirement doesn't start immediately. It goes into effect beginning with those applying in the fall of 2026, further out than other universities reinstating the policy.

Ivy League schools Dartmouth College, Yale University, and Brown University catalyzed a domino effect by reinstating SAT and ACT score requirements beginning with prospective students applying for admission in fall 2025. Announcements by the University of Texas at Austin and Harvard College followed shortly after.

Dartmouth researchers found that these standardized test scores can help identify high-achieving, under-resourced students, as colleges view test scores and GPAs in the context of a student's background.

"For example, an applicant with an SAT score of 1400 has a higher probability of admission if from a high school where average SAT scores are relatively low," the study says. "Under a test-optional policy, these students are less likely to be identified and admitted."

Standardized testing is still far from perfect. Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based research group, found that while test scores hold more "predictive power" than GPAs, students from the wealthiest families were twice as likely to be accepted to schools as other applicants with the same score.

A month after Dartmouth announced its plans, the University of Texas at Austin reinstated testing, starting in fall 2025, because the university's historical data showed that high-scoring students are more likely to graduate.

Students who submitted test scores during the university's test-optional period performed better academically than non-submitters, with an average GPA 0.86 points higher than those who didn't.