Here’s how Ivy League universities are changing admission requirements for the Class of 2025

This is a developing story that was last updated at 7:36 p.m. ET on June 19. Please check back here for updates. 

Latest updates: All Ivy League schools are now test-optional for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle. Princeton University, as of June 18, is the first of eight Ivy League schools to cancel its 'Early Action' application process. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many United States high schools and colleges closed or began teaching remotely for the remainder of the academic year. College Board and ACT testing agencies canceled and postponed multiple test dates in response to the outbreak, prompting many universities to change standardized test requirements for future applicants. 

Here are the up-to-date undergraduate standardized testing policies of all eight Ivy League institutions for the upcoming admissions cycle, including SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and English Language testing policies.  

University of Pennsylvania

Penn is no longer requiring SAT and ACT exam submissions for applicants in the 2020-2021 admissions cycle.

Due to test date cancellations amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Penn will not require the SAT or ACT in the coming admissions cycle.

The early June decision to be test-optional for one year follows the College Board's announcement that an at-home SAT would not be administered this summer, according to a press release sent by Penn Admissions. 

Although students will be able to submit standardized test scores, those who do not submit will not be at a disadvantage.

In mid-May, Penn Admissions decided SAT Subject Tests will be optional, neither required nor recommended, for applicants in the 2020-2021 admissions cycle. Applicants who do not submit the tests will also not be disadvantaged in the admissions process. In previous years, all applicants were recommended to submit SAT Subject Tests. 

TOEFL and IELTS scores, for students who are non-native English speakers or who attend school where the instruction language is not English, are still required, and must be submitted through official testing agencies. Students may submit AP, IB, and A-Level exam scores for possible University credit, which is awarded by department. 

Brown University

Brown announced in June that it will be test-optional for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle. 

Students who are unable to submit SAT or ACT scores this year due to COVID-19 will not be at a disadvantage in Brown's admissions process. Test scores that are submitted, however, will be reviewed by the University's admissions committee, the announcement stated.

Brown also stated that there will be a space within the Common Application for students to indicate how their testing plans may have been affected by this year's events. 

The University is also no longer recommending the submission of SAT Subject Tests for applicants to the Class of 2025. The Subject Tests will be considered as part of the application if submitted, but applicants who have not taken the tests will not be disadvantaged. 

Students applying to Brown may submit and use AP and IB exam scores to enroll in higher-level courses or to fulfill certain curriculum requirements. Brown Admissions highly recommends that international applicants take the TOEFL or IELTS test and arrange for the University to receive the official test results.

Columbia University

Columbia announced applicants are no longer required to submit SAT or ACT test scores for the upcoming admissions cycle. 

Students who have completed the exams are encouraged to submit their scores, however, SAT or ACT testing is not required for Columbia's 2020-2021 admissions process. Those who are unable or choose not to submit test scores will not be at a disadvantage. 

"The rigor of a student’s curriculum, their academic achievement, and their demonstrated intellectual curiosity will remain central to our review," Columbia Undergraduate Admissions announced. 

SAT Subject Test scores are also optional for students applying to Columbia, and those who choose not to take the tests or submit test scores will not be disadvantaged in the school’s admission process. 

AP and IB test scores are not required, but will be accepted if submitted through the Common Application or Coalition Application. Those who do not take these exams will not be at a disadvantage, the University’s Undergraduate Admission page reads. 

TOEFL and IELTS tests are optional if students are able to fulfill Columbia’s English Language Proficiency requirements in other methods.

Cornell University

In an April 22 statement, Cornell stated that students looking to enroll at the university beginning in August 2021 can submit applications without ACT or SAT test results for both Early Decision and Regular Decision admission rounds. The writing portions of the ACT and SAT tests are not required.

Cornell was the first in the Ivy League to make this change regarding SAT and ACT testing. The update, however, is not a permanent change in the University's admissions policy. Whether students do or do not submit the test results, Cornell said it will place a higher emphasis on the non-testing elements of their applications. 

SAT Subject Tests are not required for students applying to any of Cornell’s undergraduate colleges during the upcoming admissions cycle. Subject Tests will not be considered at all, however, for applicants to the College of Engineering. In September 2019, Cornell’s Engineering school listed Subject Tests as “optional,” while all other Cornell colleges did not require them. 

Cornell will continue accepting and awarding credit for AP, IB, and A-Level exam scores. International applicants are required to submit official IELTS or TOEFL exam scores. 

All of the required scores must be officially reported to Cornell from the testing agency.

Dartmouth College

In early June, Dartmouth announced applicants are no longer required to submit SAT or ACT test scores for the upcoming admissions cycle. 

The University said its new test-optional policy, which will last for one year, is due to the lack of standardized testing opportunities available amid the coronavirus pandemic, which may disproportionately affect students from areas heavily impacted by the virus.

SAT Subject Test scores are also optional for students applying to Dartmouth, and those who do not submit Subject Test scores will not be disadvantaged in the school’s admission process.

Students are strongly encouraged to report AP or IB scores, and will be given credit if applicable. 

If an applicant’s first language is not English and their school curriculum is not delivered in English, Dartmouth requires submission of the TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or Cambridge C1/C2 test.

Harvard College  

Harvard announced on June 15 that it will be test-optional for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle. Applicants to the Class of 2025 are no longer required to submit standardized test scores, including SAT and ACT scores, for admission in the fall.

For international applicants, who Harvard acknowledged may have fewer opportunities to take U.S. standardized testing, the university's admissions team stated it still "hope[s] to receive predicted or actual results of national examinations."

In a ‘Special Message for High School Juniors,’ Harvard said its applicants will not be disadvantaged if they do not submit SAT Subject Tests. 

It is optional for applicants to submit AP score results, which must be officially sent to the Harvard from the College Board. IB students should send their final scores to the university once released in mid-July, and A-level results should be sent by mid-August. 

Students applying to Harvard are not required to take an English proficiency exam such as the TOEFL or IELTS, but may submit scores if they choose to. 

Harvard's early action deadline remains to be Nov. 1. If students applying early action choose to submit standardized test scores, the November tests will arrive in time for consideration, the June 15 announcement stated. However, the University expects that fewer students will apply early action this year due to COVID-19. Harvard's regular decision deadline is still Jan. 1, but may be extended upon further effects of the coronavirus.

Princeton University

Princeton is the last Ivy League school to adopt a test-optional policy for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle — first-year applicants are no longer required to submit SAT or ACT test scores for admission in the fall. 

The University is also the first Ivy League school to cancel its 'Early Action' admissions option, and will now solely offer one undergraduate application deadline of Jan. 1, 2021, as announced on June 18. Applicants will apply through the 'Regular Decision' process and receive decisions by April 1. 

Students who wish to submit SAT or ACT results may still do so, but those who do not will not be disadvantaged in Princeton's admissions process. As with previous years, students applying to Princeton’s Class of 2025 are also not required to submit SAT Subject Tests.

Princeton’s academic departments are currently reviewing their credit policies for May 2020 AP tests due to the tests’ coverage and format changes. IB and A-level score submissions will only be used for placement purposes, according to the University’s statement to applicants. 

If English is not an applicant's native language or the primary language of their school curriculum, Princeton additionally requires submission of the TOEFL, IELTS Academic, or PTE Academic score. 

Yale University 

Yale announced on June 12 that it will be test-optional for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle — first-year applicants are no longer required to submit SAT or ACT test scores for admission in the fall.

Those who are unable to complete either exam or choose not to report scores will not be disadvantaged in Yale's admission process. For those who choose to send SAT or ACT scores, however, Yale will review the highest individual section scores if taken multiple times, and also accept self-reported test scores, according to the announcement. 

This standardized testing policy change does not apply to transfer applicants and students vying for enrollment in fall 2022 or afterward, who should still plan to complete the ACT or SAT by Yale's appropriate deadlines, as stated by Yale's Admissions Office.

Yale will also not consider any submitted SAT Subject Tests for first-year applicants, and the University’s Admissions Committee has advised applicants to the Class of 2025 to neither self-report nor send their Subject Test scores. 

Students may self-report their AP, IB, or AICE exam test scores, though submitting is optional. Yale's Admissions Office stated that "there is no expectation that students enrolled in academic-year courses associated with any of these tests complete exams in spring or summer 2020."

Submitting one of Yale’s listed English proficiency tests, the TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo, or InitialView, is strongly recommended to students whose native language is not English, or who have not been instructed in English for two or more years in secondary school.