Is ACT Science Optional? What Colleges Want (2026)

Yes. On the enhanced ACT, Science is an optional section, and your ACT Composite is the average of English, Math and Reading only. Skipping Science saves 40 minutes and $5 and does not change your Composite, but you get no Science score and no STEM score. A small number of colleges want it anyway, so check your list before you register.

ACT Science is optional for every national test date: it became a student choice for online testing in April 2025 and on paper in September 2025, and from September 2025 every ACT Composite counts only English, Math and Reading. If you add Science, it is scored and reported separately. This page covers what you give up by skipping it, what it costs, how school-day testing differs, and which colleges ask for it. If you already know you are taking it, our ACT Science section guide covers the format and our ACT Science tips cover strategy.

When ACT Science Became Optional

ACT rolled out the change in stages, according to its enhancements page for colleges and its K-12 FAQ:

ACT says that for tests from September 2025 on, the Composite is based solely on English, Math and Reading, and that scores from earlier tests stay as they were and are not recalculated. So a score report from before the change may show a four-section Composite that included Science. National online tests used the three-section Composite from April 2025, and every ACT from September 2025 on does.

What You Give Up If You Skip ACT Science

Skipping Science does not lower your Composite, because Science is not in it. What you lose is information:

• A Science score. Students who take Science get a standalone Science score on the 1 to 36 scale.
• A STEM score. ACT gives a STEM score, made of Science and Math, only to students who take Science.
• A science signal for colleges. ACT itself calls science and scientific reasoning "crucial" and notes that it is the only college readiness test with a dedicated science section. The SAT has none.

What you keep: a valid, college-reportable Composite and a shorter test day. The optional Science section has 40 questions (34 of them scored) in 40 minutes, per ACT's sections and timing page. The ACT Superscore no longer includes Science either, though ACT says the report still shows your highest Science and STEM scores if you have taken the section. Our guide to the ACT score report shows where each of those appears.

The ACT With and Without Science: Fees

On a national test date, Science is a $5 add-on. These are ACT's current registration fees:

ACT says Science can be added or removed through the late deadline. For the December 12, 2026 ACT, the regular registration deadline is November 6 and the late deadline is November 29, so you have time to decide after you finish checking your colleges. Every price includes score reports for you, your high school and up to four colleges if you list them when you register.

School-Day ACT: Your State or District Decides

If you take the ACT at school through a state or district contract, the choice is usually not yours. ACT's K-12 FAQ says the subjects given are decided at the contract level: the state or district chooses whether to include Science and whether to include Writing, and the two are not bundled. ACT's district testing page adds that all participating schools in a district test with the same option, and that the district pays the same price with or without Science. ACT encourages states and districts that test during the school day to keep Science.

In practice, that means two students in neighboring states can sit very different school-day tests. Ask your school's test coordinator which version you are getting. If a college on your list wants a Science score and your school-day test leaves it out, a national test date with Science is the fix.

Do Colleges Require ACT Science?

Very few do. We checked the admissions pages of several selective and engineering-heavy colleges. Only one of them requires Science from students who send the ACT, two recommend it, and the rest say plainly that it is not required:

Pomona gives its reason on its application page: the application has many places for written work but none for scientific study, so it uses Science to get "the fullest possible understanding" of an applicant's preparation. Notice that MIT and Caltech, which both require an SAT or ACT score, do not require Science.

This is a sample, not a full list, and policies change every cycle. ACT itself says the decision is institution-specific and tells students to review each school's requirements. To check a college:

1. Open the college's own admissions page on standardized testing (search the site for "ACT" and "science").
2. Check the FAQ too. Georgetown, for example, answers the question in its testing FAQ as well as on its requirements page.
3. Look for program-specific rules, such as engineering or honors programs, that may differ from the general policy.
4. If the page says nothing, email the admissions office and ask. Do not rely on a list from a third-party site.

Should You Take ACT Science? A Decision Guide

Take Science if:

• Any college on your list requires it (Pomona, for example) or recommends it for your intended major.
• You plan to apply in engineering, the sciences or another STEM field and want a STEM score on your report.
• Science is a strength, and a high Science score would add to an application that does not otherwise show it.
• You are not sure yet. For $5 and 40 minutes, having the score is cheaper than retesting later to get it.

Skip Science if:

• None of your colleges require or recommend it, and you have checked their own pages.
• You would rather spend all of your prep time on the three sections that make up the Composite.
• You are retesting only to raise one Composite section and already have a Science score on file from an earlier date.

If the Composite is your priority, our plan to improve your ACT score goes section by section, and our ACT Science overview is the place to start if you decide to keep the section.

Frequently Asked Questions About ACT Science Being Optional

Is ACT Science optional in 2026?

Yes. Science has been optional on the national ACT since April 2025 online and September 2025 on paper. On school-day tests from spring 2026, the state or district decides whether Science is included.

Does ACT Science count toward the Composite score?

No. For tests from September 2025 on, the Composite is the average of English, Math and Reading. Science is reported separately for students who take it.

Do colleges require the ACT Science section?

Most do not. Of the colleges we checked, Pomona requires it from students who submit the ACT, Georgetown and Duke recommend it, and MIT, Caltech, Dartmouth and Marquette do not require it. Always check each college's own admissions page.

How much does it cost to add Science to the ACT?

$5. The ACT without Science is $70, and with Science it is $75. You can add or remove Science through the late registration deadline.

Does the ACT Superscore include Science?

No. The ACT Superscore no longer includes Science, but ACT says the report still shows your highest Science and STEM scores if you have taken the section.

Whichever version you register for, the three Composite sections decide your headline number. Larry Learns has 30,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone and Android, with a score estimate that tracks your progress and 3 free quizzes a day. Start a free ACT quiz or create a free account to build toward December 12.