Is the SAT still a mandatory requirement?

Hey peeps, I've been stressing about the SAT. Is it true that it's absolutely mandatory for college admissions? Heard rumors of changes recently and was wondering if anyone here can give me current info.

The answer to this question isn't a straightforward "yes" or "no." The requirement for the SAT depends on the specific colleges to which you are applying. It's true that the landscape has changed when it comes to standardized testing requirements for college admissions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges and universities opted for test-optional policies, which allowed applicants to choose whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores. Some schools found this approach beneficial and have continued with test-optional policies even as the pandemic situation lightened. These include Columbia University (Columbia), Princeton University (Princeton), Stanford University (Stanford), University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins), New York University (NYU), and the University of Chicago (UChicago).

That said, some schools like Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Purdue University, Brown University, Yale University, The University of Texas at Austin, and the California Institute of Technology reinstated their testing requirements for the 2024-2025 application cycle, meaning they now require applicants to submit either SAT or ACT scores.

Importantly, the University of California and California State Universities have become test-blind, meaning they won't consider SAT or ACT scores at all, even if you send them. This policy is also in effect for the 2024-2025 application cycle.

So, to sum it up, whether the SAT is mandatory or not depends on the specific colleges you're interested in. Always check with the specific institutions to get the most accurate and updated information.