Columbia University will reinstate SAT or ACT requirements for undergraduate applicants beginning in 2027 after a multiyear faculty review concluded test scores are a useful indicator of potential student success. The policy remains test optional for the upcoming 2026–27 admissions cycle, and Columbia says applicants may request exemptions tied to hardship, testing access constraints, natural disasters, or community disruption. The move ends Columbia’s status as the last Ivy League institution with permanent test optional admissions. The article also cites internal admissions data showing a meaningful share of applicants submitted test scores even during test-optional years. The policy shift arrives amid renewed debate across higher education, including broader federal scrutiny of admissions and state-level governance concerns about how “merit” is defined. For admissions offices, the reinstatement is expected to increase operational complexity around test administration, waiver review, and communications with applicants who plan around test availability. Institutions will likely need to update advising scripts, scholarship assumptions, and model validation strategies used to assess applicants without test scores.