Do Colleges Prefer the ACT or SAT? No, and Here's Proof

No. Colleges do not prefer the ACT or the SAT. US colleges that require or accept test scores take both, and many say in writing on their admissions pages that they have no preference. The test that helps you is simply the one you score higher on, measured by the official concordance.

The "prefer" question keeps coming back because of a few stubborn myths: that the ACT belongs to the Midwest, that a state scholarship only counts one test, that service academies or the NCAA want a specific exam, or that colleges secretly want ACT Science. Below is what the colleges and agencies actually say about each one. If you want help choosing a test, our SAT vs. ACT decision guide covers that, and this page stays on the preference question.

What Colleges Actually Say About SAT vs. ACT

You do not have to take anyone's word for this. Here is what admissions offices and both testing agencies publish:

When the maker of the SAT and the maker of the ACT agree on something, it is safe to believe it. To compare the two tests, colleges can use the joint concordance tables. ACT's own guidance to colleges says the 2018 ACT/SAT concordance "should be used to convert SAT scores to ACT scores and vice versa." You can run the same numbers with our ACT to SAT conversion chart.

Test preference and test requirements are separate questions. Whether a college needs a score at all this year is covered in what schools require the SAT and should I submit my SAT scores.

Myth: The ACT Is for the Midwest, the SAT for the Coasts

You will still hear that colleges in "ACT states" prefer the ACT. What those states actually have in common is a school-day testing contract, and those contracts are about price and state accountability, not about what colleges want.

• Illinois switched tests by procurement. Illinois moved its state high school test from the SAT to the ACT, with juniors taking the ACT starting in spring 2025. The Illinois State Board of Education's FAQ on the switch explains that the bids were scored on technical specifications, commitment to diversity, and price, and that the two bids were "very close" on the technical and diversity points. The same FAQ says students "may still choose which score to include in college and scholarship applications."
• Tennessee lets districts pick. State law requires public school students to take a postsecondary readiness assessment "such as the ACT or SAT," and the Tennessee Department of Education says districts can give the SAT in place of the ACT or let students choose either.

The test your school hands out for free is a convenience, not a signal. Ohio State, a Midwestern flagship, superscores both the ACT and SAT. If you took the state's free test and scored well, use it. If you did better on the other one, send that instead.

Myth: My State Scholarship Only Counts One Test

The state merit programs we checked list both tests, and sometimes a third one too.

• Florida Bright Futures is built on the SAT, ACT, and Classic Learning Test (CLT). Florida law requires the cutoffs to be "equivalent between the SAT, ACT, and Classic Learning Test (CLT)," with the ACT and CLT scores made concordant to the SAT score using the latest national concordance. The current cutoffs are in our guides to the Bright Futures SAT score and the Bright Futures ACT score.
• Tennessee's HOPE Scholarship lists an ACT number first, but the SAT counts too: as described in the Tennessee Comptroller's 2023 legislative brief, students qualify with a 3.0 high school GPA, an ACT composite of at least 21, or an SAT of at least 1060.

The best-known program built on a single test is National Merit, and that test is neither the SAT nor the ACT. It is the PSAT/NMSQT (the "NMSQT" stands for National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). See how the PSAT connects to National Merit.

Myth: Service Academies and the NCAA Want One Test

Both are common worries for athletes and future officers. Neither holds up.

• Naval Academy: all candidates must take "either the SAT, ACT, or CLT," and tests must be completed before February 1, 2027. USNA uses your highest Reading and Writing (SAT) or English (ACT) score and your highest math score across the tests you took, and it asks for full score reports from the testing service rather than the College Board or ACT superscore report.
• West Point: you must take the SAT, ACT, or CLT, and West Point superscores across test dates. Official scores must arrive by January 31 of senior year. Its advice: "Focus on the test that best fits your strengths."
• NCAA: on January 11, 2023, the Division I Council voted to eliminate test score requirements for incoming freshman athletes' initial eligibility. Your SAT or ACT still matters for admission wherever the college requires one, but Division I initial eligibility no longer depends on it.

Myth: Colleges Want ACT Science

This one is new, and it comes from the enhanced ACT. Since the change took effect for all testers in September 2025, the ACT Composite is the average of English, Math, and Reading. Science is optional. If you take it, you get a separate 1 to 36 Science score and a STEM score that combines Math and Science from the same test day, but Science never touches the Composite.

Some students worry that skipping Science looks weak. Here is what colleges actually say:

• MIT: "We do not require the ACT writing or science sections."
• Georgia Tech: evaluates the highest English, Math, and Reading scores and states, "We do not use the Science or Writing section."
• Yale and Stanford: both call the ACT Science and Writing sections optional.

College Board's BigFuture notes that during the ACT transition some colleges updated their policies, in some cases to require the Science section, so check each college's testing page. At the colleges above, the three-section ACT is the complete ACT. For section-by-section differences between the two tests, see the SAT vs. ACT comparison chart.

Where Colleges Do Differ: How They Read Multiple Scores

Colleges treat the two tests equally, but they do not all treat retakes the same way, and the rules can differ between the SAT and the ACT at the same school. Harvard says that for the ACT it will "evaluate your highest composite score", and Princeton accepts only the highest ACT composite. Dartmouth, Brown, and Ohio State superscore both tests. That is a reason to check each college's multiple-score policy, not a sign that it prefers one exam.

Sending both tests is allowed but rarely useful. ACT's own comparison page notes that sending both scores usually does not give an advantage, and Duke says it will consider your highest score "regardless of test type or test date."

Frequently Asked Questions About Whether Colleges Prefer the ACT or SAT

Do Ivy League schools prefer the SAT or the ACT?

No. Yale says it does not prefer one exam over the other, Dartmouth says it has no institutional preference, and Harvard's requirement is "the SAT or ACT." ACT notes both tests are accepted at every accredited US college, Ivy League included.

Is it better to send both the SAT and the ACT?

Usually not. Colleges look at your strongest result, and ACT says sending both usually does not give an advantage. Send the one that sits higher in each college's range, using the official concordance to compare.

Do colleges convert ACT scores to SAT scores?

ACT recommends that colleges receiving both compare them with the official 2018 ACT/SAT concordance. In those tables, for example, a 30 ACT lines up with a 1370 SAT.

Does skipping ACT Science hurt my application?

Not at the colleges we checked. On the enhanced ACT, Science is optional and not part of the Composite. MIT does not require it, Georgia Tech does not use it, and Yale and Stanford call it optional.

Do military academies accept the ACT?

Yes. The Naval Academy and West Point both accept the SAT, ACT, or CLT. West Point superscores. The Naval Academy uses your highest Reading and Writing (SAT) or English (ACT) score and your highest math score across the tests you take.

Whichever test you pick, steady practice is what moves the number. Try a free practice quiz, or create a free Larry Learns account to practice SAT or ACT questions on web, iPhone, or Android.