{"id":1669,"date":"2026-06-13T06:38:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T06:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1669"},"modified":"2026-06-13T06:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T06:38:35","slug":"columbia-admits-sat-scores-are-useful-indicator-of-student-ability-reinstates-mandatory-test-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1669","title":{"rendered":"Columbia Admits SAT Scores Are \u2018Useful Indicator\u2019 Of Student Ability, Reinstates Mandatory Test Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The last Ivy League college holding out on the COVID-era standardized test-optional policy caved Friday when Columbia University announced that, after a multi-year review, it recognized test scores as a \u201cuseful indicator\u201d of student abilities.<\/p>

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Columbia scrapped its previously permanent test-optional policy and reinstated mandatory test scores (SAT\/ACT) from all students applying to Columbia College or Columbia Engineering. The updated policy will take effect in August 2027, according to the Ivy League institution.<\/p>

First-year or transfer students applying to Columbia\u2019s Barnard College or the School of General Studies, which includes non-traditional students in dual degree programs or those with interrupted studies, are not required to submit test scores. (RELATED: University Set To Charge Students Nearly Six Figures Per Year)<\/strong><\/p>

Columbia announced a test-optional policy in 2020 after COVID-19, becoming the second Ivy to do so. It extended the optional admissions policy in 2023 \u201cwith no stated end date,\u201d according to the Office of Public Affairs. \u201cThrough a multi-year faculty review, it was determined that test scores, among other factors, were a useful indicator of potential student success,\u201d the college wrote Friday.<\/p>

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\"NEW<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>

NEW YORK, NEW YORK \u2013 AUGUST 06: A woman wearing a mask walks near a COVID-19 related instructional \u2018attention\u2019 sign at Columbia University as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 06, 2020 in New York City. The fourth phase allows outdoor arts and entertainment, sporting events without fans and media production. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>

Columbia\u2019s admissions page notes that standardized test scores are \u201cone of many elements\u201d used to evaluate applicants. \u201cOur process is purposeful, considering individual circumstances and opportunity in order to best determine an applicant\u2019s suitability for admission and ability to thrive in and contribute to our curriculum and our community,\u201d the website notes.<\/p>

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Columbia is the last of the Ivies to abandon its test-optional policies. All eight have returned to mandatory testing, with Princeton implementing its policy change for the 2027-2028 admissions cycle. Yale was the latest Ivy to announce its policy change in late May.<\/p>

Columbia\u2019s switch follows a broader return among educators to standardized forms of evaluating student applicants. A May open letter written by STEM faculty at the University of California (UC) pleaded with administrators to reimplement mandatory mathematical standardized testing, after professors warned of \u201cpreparation gaps so severe that instructors must re-teach middle school mathematics.\u201d<\/p>

The letter has now reached nearly 1,500 signatures, including seven of the nine UC mathematical department chairs. (RELATED: \u2018Fail Our Children\u2019: New Data Shows Just How Badly Student Learning Suffered As Schools Doubled Down On DEI)<\/strong><\/p>

Columbia University did not respond immediately to the Daily Caller\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>

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The last Ivy League college holding out on test optional policies caved Friday when Columbia announced it would reinstate mandatory standardized testing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2030,2031,622,1124,1126],"class_list":["post-1669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-columbia-university","tag-covid-response","tag-ivy-league","tag-standardized-testing","tag-yale-university"],"yoast_head":"\nColumbia Admits SAT Scores Are \u2018Useful Indicator\u2019 Of Student Ability, Reinstates Mandatory Test Policy - Home Transfer Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1669\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Columbia Admits SAT Scores Are \u2018Useful Indicator\u2019 Of Student Ability, Reinstates Mandatory Test Policy - 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