Alabama Rolls Back Test-Optional Admissions and Reinstates Standardized Testing

A mere three months after Auburn announced its return to SAT and ACT requirements, the University of Alabama has similarly announced a phased return to testing for all applicants by the 2028-2029 admissions year.  Under the plan approved by the Board of Trustees, students applying for the 2026-2027 academic year will face a conditional test-optional policy with minimum GPA thresholds for test-optional eligibility. For the 2027-2028 academic year, campuses will set specific testing requirements for prospective students. By the 2028-2029 academic year, test scores will be required for all applicants to all three University of Alabama Systems: the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

While the University of Alabama has been officially test-optional since the pandemic, a majority of students have continued to submit test scores. Alabama admitted its most recent class with 54% of admitted students submitting ACT scores and 20% submitting SAT scores. In announcing the rationale for the return to testing, aligning with many other institutions, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs affirmed that test scores “provide valuable insight into academic success at our universities and as part of a holistic review process, serve as a predictor that is helpful to ensure the success of our students."

The map of southern flagships requiring testing continues to fill in, from Florida to Georgia to Tennessee to Texas and now Alabama. Just as 2025 saw testing return to large flagships like Ohio State and Auburn and highly selective private institutions like Princeton, Miami, Carnegie Mellon, and Penn, 2026 will surely see testing requirements return to more highly selective colleges and large state flagships across the country.