Yes. Stanford requires SAT or ACT scores for Fall 2026 entry and after. Self-report is fine until you enroll. Confirm on Stanford's testing page.
Yes. Stanford requires ACT or SAT scores for first-year and transfer students submitting applications beginning with the Fall 2026 entry term. There is no minimum score and no preference between the two tests. That is the school's own testing page, not a rumor.
Score ranges for students who submitted tests sit on SAT ACT score for Stanford. This URL is the requirement. Source: Stanford first-year testing.
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Stanford paused testing in 2020 and said in June 2024 it would require SAT or ACT again beginning with students applying in fall 2025 for the Class of 2030 (Fall 2026 entry). The live first-year testing page now states that ACT or SAT scores are required. You may self-report highest SAT and/or ACT scores on the application. Official scores from the agency are required if you are admitted and enroll. Latest possible SAT test date is by the end of October for Restrictive Early Action and by the end of December for Regular Decision. English proficiency tests do not replace SAT or ACT. Stanford states that the ACT Science and Writing sections are optional.
For students in the Class of 2029 who submitted SAT scores, Stanford publishes a middle 50 percent of 1520 to 1570. For ACT submitters that class, 34 to 36. Those figures describe a test-optional class. They are a picture of submitters, not a cutoff, and they are on Stanford's transfer testing page as well. Do not treat 1520 as a minimum. The school says there is no minimum.
The next SAT dates after this update are October 3, 2026, November 7, 2026, and December 5, 2026. The next ACT dates are September 19, 2026 (registration closed), October 17, 2026, and December 12, 2026. 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 25,000+ 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 is the mid-50% and how a number lands. This page is yes, you must send a test for Fall 2026+ entry. If you needed only the number, you were on the wrong URL.
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 25,000+ 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 October 3, 2026, November 7, 2026, and December 5, 2026. The next ACT dates are September 19, 2026 (registration closed), October 17, 2026, and December 12, 2026. Registration is on College Board or ACT, not inside a quiz app. October 3 regular registration closes September 18. Late registration for that date stays open through September 22. If you still need October 3 for Early Action or Early Decision, use the late window. After September 22, November 7 is the live target (regular deadline October 23). December 5 remains if you need two months.
Stanford's operational rules, in order. Self-report on the application; official scores arrive only if you enroll. There is no minimum and no score that guarantees admission. The timing is the part people get wrong: Restrictive Early Action wants the SAT done by the end of October and the ACT by the end of September, so the two tests have different last dates in the same round. Regular Decision extends both to the end of December. ACT Science and Writing are optional. If Stanford sits on a list next to a test-free campus like Berkeley, the required school sets your calendar, not the test-free one.
The Stanford-specific miss is treating Class of 2029 submitter ranges (1520 to 1570 SAT, 34 to 36 ACT) as a minimum. Those numbers describe a test-optional class's submitters. Stanford says there is no minimum and no score that guarantees admission. The second miss is waiting for a December SAT if you are Restrictive Early Action: the testing page lists October as the last acceptable SAT for REA. The third miss is sending TOEFL and calling the testing requirement done. English proficiency does not replace SAT or ACT. Self-report for review, then send official scores if you enroll. Do not skip the agency file after an offer.
Stanford requires SAT or ACT. The requirement began with Fall 2026 entry and applies to students applying now for Fall 2027. You may send ACT instead. You may not skip both.
Yes for review. Official agency scores are required if you enroll.
No. The testing page says there is no preferred exam.
Stanford lists October as the last acceptable SAT for Restrictive Early Action and December for Regular Decision.
No. Stanford states there are no minimum test scores and no score that guarantees admission.
Restrictive Early Action has tighter cutoffs than the dates above: Stanford's latest test date is the end of October for the SAT and the end of September for the ACT, so October 3 is your last SAT and the October 17 ACT is already too late. November 7 and December 5 are Regular Decision test dates. If Stanford is on the list, pick a date that fits your round and start a free practice set. create a free account if the streak needs a name.
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