Princeton is test-optional for fall 2027 entry. SAT or ACT is required beginning with the 2027-28 cycle (fall 2028 entry). Confirm which year you are applying.
It depends which fall you enter. For first-year and transfer applicants seeking to enroll in fall 2027 (the 2026-27 admission cycle), Princeton remains test-optional. Students who apply without SAT or ACT will not be at a disadvantage. Beginning with the 2027-28 cycle, applicants seeking to enroll in fall 2028 must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Numbers for submitters: SAT ACT score for Princeton. Policy source: Princeton standardized testing.
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If you are a current senior applying this winter for fall 2027, you may skip the SAT. If you submit, send official scores from the testing firms. Princeton considers your highest SAT section scores across sittings and allows SAT score choice, but for the ACT it takes only the highest composite from a single sitting. It encourages all scores. It does not super-score between paper SAT and digital SAT. Codes: SAT 2672, ACT 2588. Active military applicants will not be required to submit scores even after the requirement returns, because of access. Princeton accepts old ACT (four sections) and new ACT (Science optional) equally.
If you choose to submit for fall 2027, Princeton asks regular decision applicants to test by the December date (December 5 for the SAT, December 12 for the ACT); the October date for single-choice early action has passed. If you are a junior aiming at fall 2028, treat the SAT as required and start the dose now. The optional year is not a reason to skip practice if any required school is also on your list.
The next SAT dates after this update are December 5, 2026 and March 6, 2027. The next ACT dates are December 12, 2026 and February 27, 2027. Register on the official site, not through a prep company. If this school is required, a test date you cannot enter is not a plan. If this school is optional, sit only if you will use the score somewhere.
The bank is 30,000+ questions on iPhone, Android, and the web with the same account. Free accounts get three quizzes a day, five questions by default. Ace at $19/month removes both daily caps. Official full-length practice stays in Bluebook. Daily practice is start a free practice set.
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The score page assumes you have a number. This page tells you whether Princeton will demand that number for your entry term.
A required school does not grade your homework. An optional school does not forbid a test date. A test-free campus will not read the SAT in admissions even if the PDF is in the portal. The work is still five questions a day if any campus on the list will use a number. The bank is 30,000+ questions on iPhone, Android, and the web with the same account. Free accounts get three quizzes a day, five questions by default. Ace at $19/month removes both daily caps. Official full-length practice stays in Bluebook. Khan Academy Official SAT Prep is the lesson when a named miss needs a teacher. Larry Learns is the dose. The next SAT dates after this update are December 5, 2026 (register by November 20, late registration through November 24) and March 6, 2027. The next ACT dates are December 12, 2026 (register by November 6, late deadline November 29) and February 27, 2027. Registration is on College Board or ACT, not inside a quiz app. For Princeton Regular Decision, the December date is the last one Princeton asks for, so the December 5 SAT or the December 12 ACT is the live target if you are submitting.
Princeton's operational rules, in order. Scores come direct from the testing agency, not self-reported. SAT code 2672, ACT code 2588. Take the SAT or ACT by the October date for Single-Choice Early Action and by the December date for Regular Decision. Princeton considers your highest SAT section scores across sittings and Score Choice applies, but only within one format: Princeton does not super-score between the paper test and the digital test. For the ACT it takes only the highest composite from a single sitting, and it encourages all scores. The old four-section ACT and the new three-section ACT are accepted equally, with Science optional.
The Princeton-specific miss is reading 'test-optional' as 'the SAT is dead for everyone.' Fall 2027 entry is optional. Fall 2028 entry requires SAT or ACT. A current junior who skips every test date because a current senior can skip Princeton is guessing about the rest of the list. The second miss is super-scoring a paper SAT with a digital SAT. Princeton says you cannot. Score choice is allowed inside the same format. The third miss is treating military-exception language as a general waiver. That exception is for active military access, not for a civilian who did not want to sit. If you submit for the optional year, send official scores from the firms, not a screenshot. Codes 2672 and 2588. Sit by the December date for regular decision if you are sending a number.
No. Fall 2027 entry is test-optional. Fall 2028 entry requires SAT or ACT.
Princeton says students who opt to apply without ACT or SAT in the 2026-27 cycle will not be at a disadvantage.
In effect, yes for the SAT: Princeton considers your highest section scores across all sittings, within one format (paper or digital). For the ACT it uses only the highest composite from a single sitting.
The 2027-28 admission cycle, for students enrolling fall 2028.
Only if every school on the list is optional or test-free. Required schools still need a test date.
Check your entry year, then start a free practice set if any school on the list still needs a number.
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