Blog/Does UC Berkeley Require SAT? No. Berkeley Is Test-Free
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Does UC Berkeley Require SAT? No. Berkeley Is Test-Free
No. UC Berkeley is test-free and will not use SAT or ACT scores in any part of the application process. Scores sent may be used for placement or subject credit after admission.
Larry Learns Team
No. UC Berkeley is test-free, which means it will not use SAT or ACT test scores in any part of the application process. Holistic review still uses grades, course rigor, other exams such as AP or IB, and academic context. If you send SAT or ACT scores, Berkeley says they will be used for placement or subject credit if you are admitted, not for the admit decision.
Berkeley's June 2026 note is blunt: SAT/ACT were not the only academic indicators, and they are not used now. Letters of recommendation are by invitation only, due January 10 if you are asked. The UC application window is October 1 to November 30. System-wide, fall 2027 applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT. A Senate review is underway; the Regents have asked for a recommendation by June 2027. Until that vote, do not mail Berkeley an SAT as if it were an admission lever.
Take the SAT if Stanford, a required private, or a non-UC campus needs it. Do not test 'for Berkeley admissions.' You can still send a score after admission for placement if Berkeley asks.
What To Do With the Next Test Dates
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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How This School Differs From a Score-Range Page
Any Berkeley SAT mid-50% you still see is not the current admissions rule. This page is the current rule: test-free.
Practice Is Separate From the Policy
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.
Berkeley's operational rules, in order. Test-free means scores play no part in the application process at all. If you send them anyway, Berkeley says they will be used for placement or subject credit should you be admitted, never for the admit decision. Berkeley also states it will not accept unsolicited letters or supplemental information, so a score report is not a way to add material to a file. The application window runs October 1 to November 30, and letters of recommendation, where invited, are due January 10.
Mistakes Specific to This School
The Berkeley-specific miss is the same as UCLA's, with a letters twist. SAT/ACT are not used in any part of the application process. Unsolicited recommendation letters are not accepted either. If Berkeley invites letters, that invitation is the channel, due January 10. The second miss is sending an SAT 'for placement' before you are admitted and calling it an admission strategy. Placement is after admission. The third miss is betting that a February 2027 Senate report already changed fall 2027. It did not. The UC application window is still October 1 to November 30. Take the SAT only if a non-UC campus needs it. Berkeley's published policy is the live rule until the Regents vote otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Does UC Berkeley Require SAT
Does UC Berkeley require the SAT?
No. Berkeley will not use SAT or ACT in the application process.
If I send SAT scores to Berkeley, what happens?
They are not used for admission. They may be used for placement or subject credit if you enroll.
Is Berkeley test-optional?
No. Test-optional would mean a submitted score could count. Test-free means it does not count for admission.
Are letters of recommendation required at Berkeley?
Only if Berkeley invites you. Unsolicited letters are not accepted.
When might UC change this?
A Senate report is due February 12, 2027, with a Regents recommendation requested by June 2027. Fall 2027 applicants are unchanged.
Berkeley will not read the SAT for admission. start a free practice set only if another campus will.
