The ACT with Writing or the SAT with Essay is required. Official scores from all test dates must be sent to Stanford directly from the ACT or the College Board (the reporting agency for the SAT) or both if the applicant has taken the ACT and the SAT. Applicants may not use the College Board's Score Choice feature or "hide" any scores with either testing agency.
GuidelinesScore reports must arrive by the appropriate application deadline. Refer to the application deadlines for the last acceptable SAT with Essay and ACT with Writing exam dates. We do not accept test substitutions. International students who are unable to take either test should review our guidelines for testing exemptions.
- Stanford will accept scores from both the old SAT and the new SAT.
- Stanford requires all three components of the new SAT: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and Essay.
- Applicants should self-report their highest scores to date in their application while their official test scores are being processed and sent to Stanford.
- Applicants must submit all SAT scores and all ACT scores directly from the testing agencies. The only exceptions are tests taken for the purpose of talent programs in middle or junior high school (for example, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and Duke University's Talent Identification Program). These test scores do not have to be sent to Stanford.
- Stanford recognizes that the ACT charges a fee for each score report. If you are applying with a fee waiver and the cost associated with the submission of all ACT scores presents a financial hardship, you may simply send one score report and self-report the remainder of your ACT scores in your application. All official scores will be required if you are offered admission.
- For the SAT, we will focus on the highest individual Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and Essay scores from all test sittings. For SAT exams taken prior to March 2016, we will focus on the highest Critical Reading, Math and Writing scores.
- We will superscore the results from the old and new SAT exams separately.
- For the ACT, we will review all subscores and will focus on the highest Composite and the highest English and writing scores from all test sittings.
- SAT Subject Tests are optional. Because SAT Subject Test scores can highlight your areas of strength, we welcome the self-reporting of these results in your application.
We recommend students take the required tests well in advance of the application deadlines. It is unlikely that scores from tests taken after the deadlines will arrive in time for review. We cannot delay the review of an application in anticipation of scores that will arrive after the deadline nor can we guarantee that late scores will be reviewed.
