Cornell University Campus in Ithaca. New York
After several Ivy League schools announced their return to standardized testing, Cornell has joined the list with a phased plan over a longer period of time. Unlike the undergraduate colleges of Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale, Cornell—which is the largest Ivy—is tailoring the requirement to fit its individual colleges and schools.
The complexity of the plan honors the variety of academic units at Cornell. The diversity reflects the vision of the university’s founder, Ezra Cornell, whose words are enshrined in the school’s motto: “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”
The university’s structure is further complicated in that it is both a private and a public institution. Cornell University is a private research university that is part of the Ivy League. However, four of its colleges receive public funding and are operated under contract with the State of New York.
The many-faceted nature of Cornell helps to explain the complexity of the new regulations for standardized testing. Prospective students must carefully check the details for the particular academic unit to which they intend to apply.
Details For Students Applying This Fall For 2025
Cornell has announced its requirements and recommendations for students applying in the admissions cycle beginning this fall, meaning those who hope to begin school in fall 2025.
'Score-Free'
Cornell uses its own terminology to express the requirements. “Score-free” means a college within the university will not use test scores in evaluating applicants.
Four of the school’s units will remain score-free for applicants in the coming cycle:
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
- Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
- Cornell SC Johnson College of Business - Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration
'Test-Recommended'
For the fall 2025 cohort of students, five colleges and schools will be what Cornell calls “test-recommended.” Standardized test scores will not be required, but recommended at the following:
- College of Arts & Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Human Ecology
- Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy
- School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Other details include Cornell’s superscoring test results. This means that if a student takes the test more than once, Cornell will use the highest score achieved on a given section of the test. Students should check the Cornell website for additional information and possible updates.
Though these requirements and recommendations may seem complicated for the coming admissions cycle, Cornell’s intention was seemingly benevolent. As stated on its website, Cornell wanted “to provide students with time to prepare and take standardized tests.”
Looking ahead, the requirement will become simpler for students applying in the admissions cycle beginning in fall 2025 for fall 2026 enrollment. It may not be what students like to hear, but it will be a uniform policy: All undergraduate colleges and schools of Cornell University will require standardized testing.
The 3 Remaining Test-Optional Ivies
As of this writing, there are only three Ivy-League holdouts on test-optional policies.
The University of Pennsylvania’s website confirms “it will remain test-optional for the 2024-25 admissions cycle.” UPenn specifies, “Applicants who do not submit SAT or ACT scores will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process.”
Columbia’s website says, “For students who choose to submit testing, we welcome this information and are pleased to include standardized tests in your application review. Students who choose not to submit test scores, however, will not be at a disadvantage in our process.”
Princeton’s website claims it will remain test-optional through the fall of 2025, and students who do not submit a test score “will not be disadvantaged in our process.”
Nevertheless, the other Ivies said much the same—until they didn’t.
The encouraging news is that Cornell, like each of the Ivies that now requires standardized testing, assures students their test scores will be considered in context. As Lisa Nishii, vice provost for undergraduate education and interim vice provost for enrollment, said in the Cornell Chronicle, “We are committed to evaluating an applicant’s academic preparedness as well as how their unique interests, lived experiences and strengths will contribute to Cornell’s vision of ‘… any person … any study.’ ”
