Auburn University Reinstates Test Requirements

After shifting its admissions policy from test-optional to conditional test-optional to test-preferred, Auburn University is formally reinstating SAT/ACT requirements for all first-year applicants.

Auburn University joins a long list of southern flagships that have made the transition back to test-required admissions

More colleges will join this list, and in time, the majority of southern flagships may be test-required.

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A tenuous relationship with test-optional admissions

While Auburn was compelled to adopt a test-optional admissions position during the pandemic when students across the country were unable to access standardized tests, the admissions office has consistently indicated a preference for standardized admissions tests.

In 2023, Auburn placed limits on test-optional admissions for students with weaker GPAs. “While we encourage students to submit standardized test scores, they are not required for admission consideration. Applicants with at least a 3.6 GPA who cannot secure a test will be considered for admission under our test-optional pathway.”

Auburn eventually transitioned its language from “encourage” to “strongly encourage,” indicating a very clear preference for test scores. Auburn now communicates on its website that students submitting applications without test scores have the narrowest of odds of gaining admission: “Students who apply without test scores will have significantly limited admissions, Honors College, and scholarship opportunities. Less than 5% of the applicant pool will be considered under the test-optional pathway.”

For the incoming class of 2024, Auburn’s Common Data Set reveals that among admitted students, 76% submitted ACT scores and 16% submitted SAT scores. The pathway for non-submitters was small indeed.

Auburn gives guidance on its transition from conditional test-optional to test-required admissions.

Fall 2026 Requirements

“Auburn University strongly encourages all applicants to submit official ACT or SAT scores. For Fall 2026 admission only, a very limited number of exceptionally qualified applicants with at least a 3.6 GPA may be considered without test scores….However, submitting test scores significantly strengthens your application and is the preferred path for admission consideration.”

Fall 2027 Requirements

“Beginning Fall 2027, all first-year applicants will be required to submit ACT or SAT scores.” Thus ends Auburn’s experiment with test-optional admissions.

Looking Ahead

Auburn is next in line for Southern flagships reinstating test requirements, but it will certainly not be the last. So many southern schools, particularly those that are selective, show a clear preference for students with test scores.

The University of Alabama admitted its most recent class with 54% of admitted students submitting ACT scores and 20% submitting SAT scores. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill admitted its most recent class with 41% submitting ACT scores and 28% submitting SAT scores. Many of the colleges and universities that have reinstated testing requirements admitted their final classes under a test-optional admissions policy, with roughly 70% of admitted students having submitted test scores. 

Look for more announcements of returns to test-required admissions for state flagships like Auburn and Ohio State and for selective private universities like Carnegie Mellon, Miami and Penn.