Standardized Testing for Transfer Applicants

Yale will extend its test-optional admissions policy to the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. All applicants for undergraduate admission for fall 2024 enrollment may apply with or without ACT or SAT scores. The admissions office plans to announce a long-term policy on standardized testing in winter 2024. The decision will be informed by the data and insights generated from the most recent admissions cycles. 

Applicants who have successfully completed one or more ACT or SAT exams should consider including scores, even if those scores are below the ranges listed below. Yale’s internal research has consistently shown that standardized test scores are a significant predictor of a student’s undergraduate academic performance. When students include scores with their applications, the Yale Admissions Committee evaluates them within each student’s unique context and uses them to augment other academic indicators throughout the application. 

For applicants without scores, the Admissions Committee places greater weight on other parts of the application, such as high school transcripts, recommendation letters, and essays. Competitive candidates with or without scores are those whose applications clearly demonstrate a high degree of academic preparedness, a consistent record of scholastic success, and genuine intellectual curiosity.

For applicants who have previously applied to Yale University, all test results submitted in prior applications will be available for review.

Continue reading for more information about

• ACT and SAT overview
• ACT and SAT policies
• Additional exams
• Sending scores after applying
• Testing for non-native English speakers

ACT and SAT overview

During the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, applicants to Yale College may opt to report results from the ACT and/or the SAT. 

Yale’s application for transfer admission will include the following question: “Yale is providing applicants the option to have their applications reviewed with or without ACT or SAT scores. Do you wish to have ACT or SAT scores considered with your application?” 

• Applicants who respond “Yes” may not change their response. Any official or self-reported ACT or SAT scores included with a student’s application will be considered during the review process.
• Applicants who respond “No” may change their response to “Yes” by using the Application Update Form on the Yale Admissions Status Portal to self-report ACT or SAT results at any time after applying.

Standardized test results, when included, are just one component of a student’s application and are viewed within the context of the student’s entire file. There is no minimum score required for admission, nor is there a score that will guarantee admission. The middle 50% of test scores (the 25th to the 75th percentiles) for enrolled first-year students in Fall 2020 were as follows:

• SAT-Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 720-780
• SAT-Math: 740-800
• ACT Composite: 33-35

Note: the above data reflects score ranges before Yale temporarily adopted a test-optional policy. While Yale’s test-optional policy is in effect, the admissions office will not report data on the test scores or test-sharing choices of applicants, admitted students, or enrolling students.  

ACT and SAT policies:

• SAT vs ACT: The Yale Admissions Committee does not prefer one test over the other, and students who submit both the SAT and ACT are not at an advantage.
• The ACT Writing section is optional. Applicants who opt to complete the Writing section may self-report their Writing subscore on the application.
• Self-Reporting Scores: Students who opt to include ACT and/or SAT scores with their application may self-report scores on the application and/or via the “Update Application” form, available on the Yale Admissions Status Portal after an application has been received. Applicants who are offered admission and choose to matriculate at Yale will be required to provide official results of all self-reported scores prior to enrolling. Discrepancies between an applicant’s self-reported scores and official scores may result in the withdrawal of an offer of admission. 
• Multiple Tests & Test Dates: Applicants who opt to include scores may choose to report scores from one exam date or multiple exam dates, but they must include a complete set of subscores - e.g. Mathematics and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing for the SAT; English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science for the ACT.
• Superscoring: When assessing SAT results, admissions officers will focus on the highest individual section scores from all test dates. For example, if an applicant took the SAT twice, the highest Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math scores will be considered individually. When assessing ACT results, admissions officers will focus on the highest ACT Composite from all test dates while also considering individual ACT subscores.

Additional exams

Students who have completed AP Exams, IB Exams, or AICE Exams prior to submitting their applications may opt to self-report scores in the testing section of the application. Students who have completed any of these exams and who feel that their results demonstrate strength in specific academic areas may want to self-report those scores, but reporting them is entirely optional. As in other parts of the application, exam results will be considered as one component among many of a whole-person review process.

SAT Subject Tests have been discontinued. Results from these exams will not considered for any transfer applicants.

Sending scores after applying

Applicants who complete a standardized exam or receive a new exam score after submitting their application may use the “Update Application” form available on the Yale Admissions Status Portal to self-report new scores, or list Yale as an official score recipient either on or in advance of the test date. Yale’s CEEB code for the SAT is 3987; the ACT code is 0618.

Testing for non-native English speakers

Yale requires that non-native English-speakers who have not taken at least two years of their most recent education where English is the medium of instruction submit the results from any of the proficiency tests listed below.

TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language

The TOEFL requires pre-registration for available testing dates. Yale’s most competitive applicants have scores of at least 100 on the internet-based TOEFL.

IELTS International English Language Testing System

The IELTS offers proficiency tests in locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have IELTS scores of 7 or higher.

Cambridge English Qualifications

Cambridge English exams are available at testing locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have Cambridge English scores of 185 or higher on the C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency, or B2 First exams.

DET Duolingo English Test

Applicants may submit the Duolingo English Test (DET), which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Duolingo’s technology and format allows applicants to complete the test at any time or place with internet access. Yale’s most competitive applicants have DET scores of at least 120.

InitialView InitialView

InitialView provides live, unscripted video interviews that candidates may submit to colleges for consideration with other application materials. Interview times must be reserved in advance. There is no scoring associated with these interviews.