Standardized Test requirements change for many universities

Post By: COYD Staff

For many soon to be seniors, this upcoming fall semester is going to be the hardest period of their high school careers. The pressure of college admissions is piling up and they are beginning (or hopefully have already started) to prepare for their college applications. One thing to make sure of is to know the requirements, and specifically the standardized test requirements, of every university to which you will be applying. This year many universities have changed their SAT Subject Test requirements, and you need to make sure that the university(ies) of your choice have not. And if they have, if you have fulfilled all of their requirements.

Below is a list of schools that require SAT Subject Tests. A few universities have changed their policies, and they are starred. Remember, this is not an official list. You should ALWAYS look at the specific university’s website and/or application to get the full details. Some schools require different SAT Subject Test depending on the degree or program to which you will be applying. Make sure to find that specific information if you plan on applying to a specific program at the university.

If you have any questions or confusion, you should contact the university’s admissions office to make sure you have all of the requirements necessary to apply to that university.

Schools that require or strongly recommend 3 Subject Tests

Georgetown University

Schools that require 2 SAT Subject Tests

California Institute of Technology (Mathematics Level 2 and one of the following Subject Tests: Biology(Ecological), Biology (Molecular), Chemistry, or Physics
Carnegie Mellon University (Check website to figure out which 2 for the various programs)
Columbia University
Cooper Union
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Franklin Olin College of Engineering
Harvard University *
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (one in Math and one in Science)
Princeton University
University of California system
University of Virginia
Washington and Lee University
Webb Institute
Williams College

Schools require 2 SAT Subject Tests or ACT Writing substitution

Amherst College
Barnard College
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
Duke University
McGill University
Pomona College
Rice University
Swarthmore College
Tufts University
University of Pennsylvania
Vassar College
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Yale University

**From Harvard University website: “students should not submit two Subject Tests in mathematics to meet this requirement. Candidates whose first language is NOT English should ordinarily not use a Subject Test in their first language to meet the two Subject Tests requirements”

NOTE: PLEASE CHECK ALL INFORMATION WITH THE INDIVIDUAL UNIVERSITY’S WEBSITE OR ADMISSIONS OFFICE.

If you haven’t already done so, you need to start building a list of colleges to which you plan to apply. For more information on how to choose your college list, go to the previous blog postings in the Choosing the Right College section.

Here you will learn about the different types of schools you need to apply to, the different fits you need to take into consideration when applying, the best and the worst reasons  you should choose a university, and why the Ivy League is not always the answer.