During a distant time long ago, most colleges in America required applicants to send official score reports from The College Board (SAT) and ACT, Inc. (ACT). Everything changed when the pandemic struck. Nowadays, most schools have phased out this requirement, which came with a significant price tag that made applying to multiple colleges prohibitive to low-income families. Official score reports from these companies cost anywhere from $12 to $70, depending on the associated fees and the number of schools to which the test-taker applied, a price tag that adds up for some families. While they offer fee waivers for qualifying test-takers, these come with limitations. With the majority of highly selective colleges across the nation now allowing standardized test scores to be self-reported, this financial burden has been significantly reduced.

What Does it Mean to Self-Report Test Scores?

Self-reporting is the process by which students fill in their test scores on their college applications without sending official score reports from testing agencies. If a college accepts you and you decide to enroll, official score reports verify your self-reported scores. It all comes down to the honor system: colleges place their trust in you, expecting you to be honest about your scores while they make their decisions, and reserve the right to revoke your admission should you have lied about your scores.

Most Colleges Switched to Not Asking for Score Reports Until Pre-Enrollment

The score-reporting monopoly has been upset by this brave new post-pandemic world where colleges want to stick it to the companies that have exploited the application process for far too long, a move that we believe is a step towards a fairer system. Upon an applicant’s admission and intention to enroll, most schools require an official score report to verify their self-reported scores. We applaud the normalization of self-reported scores, which is a fairer and more transparent approach. The College Board and ACT, Inc. have profited from this system for far too long. However, one of the most notable exceptions to this rule is the University of Southern California, which still requires official score reports before decisions are rendered. Other schools that still require official score reports include Princeton University and Georgetown University.

Advanced Placement test scores have always been self-reported without hiccups or calls for additional verification (except upon enrollment). There’s no reason for standardized test scores to be any different. As colleges report record-high applicant pools and unprecedented competitiveness, the more financially accessible college admissions is for everyone, the better! Loyal readers of Ivy Coach’s blog will note that these changes have come as many colleges have brought standardized testing back in place of the test-optional policies that reigned supreme during the height of the pandemic. With standardized testing here to stay, these changes couldn’t have come at a better time.

Which Top Colleges Accept Self-Reported SAT/ACT Scores?

Let’s take a look at the testing policies of schools ranking in the U.S. News and World Report’s list of “Top 25 Best Colleges”:

School	2024 U.S. News Ranking	Accepts Self-Reported SAT/ACT Scores?
Princeton University	#1	No
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	#2	Yes
Harvard University	#3	Yes
Stanford University	#3	Yes
Yale University	#5	Yes
University of Pennsylvania	#6	Yes
California Institute of Technology	#7	Yes
Duke University	#7	Yes
Brown University	#9	Yes
Johns Hopkins University	#9	Yes
Northwestern University	#9	Yes
Columbia University	#12	Yes
Cornell University	#12	Yes
University of Chicago	#12	Yes
University of California, Berkeley	#15	SAT/ACT not considered
University of California, Los Angeles	#15	SAT/ACT not considered
Rice University	#17	Yes
Dartmouth College	#18	Yes
Vanderbilt University	#18	Yes
University of Notre Dame	#20	Yes
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor	#21	Yes
Georgetown University	#22	No
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	#22	Yes
Carnegie Mellon University	#24	Yes
Emory University	#24	Yes
University of Virginia	#24	Yes
Washington University in St. Louis	#24	Yes

Applicants Should Always Complete Common App.’s Testing Section

It’s great that these schools allow students to self-report their scores. This way, low-income students applying to these schools won’t have to order score reports as they do for many other schools and will only have to do so once admitted if they wish to enroll. That saves both money and hassle. But let’s clear up a misconception. The Testing section of The Common Application, which contains a student’s self-reported scores, should always be completed — irrespective of whether a school allows students to self-report scores. It shouldn’t be left blank.

Of course, schools on this growing list of self-reporting schools (which now includes most highly selective universities) only require applicants to submit their scores after admissions decisions have rolled out and the student has expressed an intention to enroll. The schools do so then to confirm the integrity of the results. But for families who don’t happen to struggle with paying the fees for these score reports, if it makes them feel better, we don’t have a problem with them sending in the reports with applications — whether the school is test-optional or not.

And for those dishonest students thinking of lying about your test scores to these schools, think again. Your admission will be revoked by these schools if your score reports, which they receive before you enroll, don’t match up with what you reported on your application. It might sound like we’re stating the obvious. But, regrettably, it’s not so obvious to all! We urge all applicants to uphold the highest standards of honesty and integrity in their applications.