Use of Test-Optional and Test-Free Admissions Keeps Rising

A record 1,835 colleges will conduct admissions this year without considering test scores, according to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.

Of those colleges, 1,750 have ACT/SAT-optional policies for fall 2023. An additional 85 institutions are test blind or score-free, meaning applicants’ standardized exam results are not considered even if they are submitted. That number includes the entire California public university system.