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
Updated
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 policy page is blunt: SAT/ACT were not the only academic indicators, and they are not used now. Its current policy page lists no letters of recommendation step, and its FAQ says materials it did not ask for will not be reviewed. 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 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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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 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 9, late deadline November 29) and February 27, 2027. Registration is on College Board or ACT, not inside a quiz app. These dates matter for admission only at a campus outside the UC system that uses scores. Berkeley will not read them for admission.
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's FAQ also says it does not accept supplemental materials it did not request, so a score report is not a way to add material to a file. The application window runs October 1 to November 30.
Mistakes Specific to This School
The Berkeley-specific miss is the same as UCLA's, with a materials twist. SAT/ACT are not used in any part of the application process. Unrequested extras, such as portfolios or senior-year grades, are not reviewed either. If Berkeley asks you for more information, that request is the channel. 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?
No. Berkeley's first-year policy page lists none as of November 2026, and its FAQ says materials it did not request will not be reviewed.
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.
