In 2021, the College Board® announced that the SAT® Essay, which had been an optional section of the SAT since 2016, will no longer be offered. However, a few states will continue to require it for students who take the SAT as part of the SAT School Day program. The role of the SAT Essay in college admissions differs from school to school. While some colleges make the SAT Essay a requirement, others completely disregard it. This article will cover SAT benefits, which colleges require SAT Essay, and more.
Does The SAT Essay Matter?
The SAT Essay matters only as much as it matters to your desired college. If submitting essay scores is not required or recommended, it should not affect the admission decision. Check whether the SAT Essay plays a role in the admission decision of your prospective colleges before you decide to take it. To learn about the format, syllabus, difficulty level, and scoring pattern of the essay section, be sure to read our article on the SAT Optional Essay.
Benefits of taking the SAT Essay
Here are a few benefits of taking the SAT Essay for students applying to colleges that require or recommend sending the essay scores with admissions applications:
- Highlights your writing and rhetorical skills:
This is your opportunity to demonstrate your writing and rhetorical skills and stand out among other applicants. - Displays your college and career readiness:
Writing skills and critical thinking are essential in every academic field. Your essay section score demonstrates how well you will perform in your future studies. - Can be an additional advantage for getting scholarships:
Scholarship programs may require an SAT Essay score, so if you plan on applying for scholarships, check the requirements early.
Why are some colleges still accepting the SAT Essay?
The SAT Essay helps colleges gather additional information about students to gauge their potential as a successful student. A student’s writing and critical thinking skills are indicative of their likelihood of succeeding in college-level coursework. For colleges that recently started recommending the SAT Essay, it may be an opportunity to make your college application to stand out.
Which Colleges Require The SAT Essay?
We have compiled a list of colleges that either recommend or require you to take the SAT Essay (see below). However, don’t forget to go through the admission policies of your prospective college to check for any updates to admission eligibility requirements.
Name of Colleges | State | Required | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|
Abilene Christian University | TX | ✓ | |
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | NY | ✓ | |
Allegheny College | PA | ✓ | |
Augsburg University | MN | ✓ | |
Austin College | TX | ✓ | |
Benedictine University | IL | ✓ | |
Caldwell University | NJ | ✓ | |
California State University, Northridge | CA | ✓ | |
Central Connecticut State University | CT | ✓ | |
Central Michigan University | MI | ✓ | |
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania | PA | ✓ | |
College of Wooster | OH | ✓ | |
Colorado School of Mines | CO | ✓ | |
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | NY | ✓ | |
Corban University | OR | ✓ | |
Cornerstone University | MI | ✓ | |
Dallas Christian College | TX | ✓ | |
Delaware State University | DE | ✓ | |
DeSales University | PA | ✓ | |
Dominican University of California | CA | ✓ | |
Duke University | NC | ✓ | |
Earlham College | IN | ✓ | |
Eastern Illinois University | IL | ✓ | |
Eastern Nazarene College | MA | ✓ | |
Eastern University | PA | ✓ | |
Endicott College | MA | ✓ | |
Five Towns College | NY | ✓ | |
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | FL | ✓ | |
Gallaudet University | DC | ✓ | |
George Washington University | DC | ✓ | |
Georgia Highlands College | GA | ✓ | |
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) | GA | ✓ | |
Greenville University | IL | ✓ | |
Gwynedd Mercy University | PA | ✓ | |
Hofstra University | NY | ✓ | |
Holy Family College | WI | ✓ | |
Holy Family University | PA | ✓ | |
Howard University | DC | ✓ | |
Husson University | ME | ✓ | |
Indiana University South Bend | IN | ✓ | |
Indiana University Southeast | IN | ✓ | |
Indiana Wesleyan University | IN | ✓ | |
Inter American University of Puerto Rico: Barranquitas Campus | PR | ✓ | |
John Wesley University | NC | ✓ | |
Juilliard School | NY | ✓ | |
Keiser University (West Palm Beach) | FL | ✓ | |
Kentucky State University | KY | ✓ | |
Lehigh University | PA | ✓ | |
Madonna University | MI | ✓ | |
Manhattan College | NY | ✓ | |
Martin Luther College | MN | ✓ | |
Marymount California University | CA | ✓ | |
Massachusetts Maritime Academy | MA | ✓ | |
McMurry University | TX | ✓ | |
Mercy College | NY | ✓ | |
Modern College of Design | OH | ✓ | |
Molloy College | NY | ✓ | |
Montana Technological University | MT | ✓ | |
Morehouse College | GA | ✓ | |
Mount Saint Mary College | NY | ✓ | |
Mount St. Joseph University | OH | ✓ | |
National-Louis University | IL | ✓ | |
New Jersey City University | NJ | ✓ | |
Nichols College | MA | ✓ | |
North Park University | IL | ✓ | |
Ohio University | OH | ✓ | |
Oregon State University | OR | ✓ | |
Purdue University Northwest | IN | ✓ | |
Randall University | OK | ✓ | |
Randolph-Macon College | VA | ✓ | |
Reading Area Community College | PA | ✓ | |
Rowan University | NJ | ✓ | |
Rutgers University—Camden Campus | NJ | ✓ | |
Rutgers University—Newark Campus | NJ | ✓ | |
Saint Michael's College | VT | ✓ | |
Seton Hill University | PA | ✓ | |
Shiloh University | IA | ✓ | |
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | PA | ✓ | |
Soka University of America | CA | ✓ | |
Southern California Institute of Architecture | CA | ✓ | |
Southern Illinois University Carbondale | IL | ✓ | |
Southern Oregon University | OR | ✓ | |
Spring Hill College | AL | ✓ | |
Sul Ross State University | TX | ✓ | |
SUNY Farmingdale State College | NY | ✓ | |
SUNY University at Stony Brook | NY | ✓ | |
Tarleton State University | TX | ✓ | |
Texas A&M International University | TX | ✓ | |
Texas A&M University | TX | ✓ | |
Texas A&M University—Galveston | TX | ✓ | |
Texas State University | TX | ✓ | |
The King's College | NY | ✓ | |
United States Air Force Academy | CO | ✓ | |
United States Military Academy (West Point) | NY | ✓ | |
University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, Merced | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, Riverside | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) | CA | ✓ | |
University of California, Santa Cruz | CA | ✓ | |
University of Evansville | IN | ✓ | |
University of Hawaii: West Oahu | HI | ✓ | |
University of La Verne | CA | ✓ | |
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | TX | ✓ | |
University of Massachusetts Amherst | MA | ✓ | |
University of Minnesota: Twin Cities | MN | ✓ | |
University of New England | ME | ✓ | |
University of North Texas | TX | ✓ | |
University of Northwestern—St. Paul | MN | ✓ | |
University of Texas at Dallas | TX | ✓ | |
University of the Virgin Islands | VI | ✓ | |
University of Toledo | OH | ✓ | |
University of Washington Bothell | WA | ✓ | |
VanderCook College of Music | IL | ✓ | |
Virginia Union University | VA | ✓ | |
Wabash College | IN | ✓ | |
Webb Institute | NY | ✓ | |
Webber International University | FL | ✓ | |
Wesleyan College | GA | ✓ | |
West Virginia University Institute of Technology | WV | ✓ | |
Western Carolina University | NC | ✓ | |
William Jewell College | MO | ✓ |
Do Ivy League schools require the SAT Essay?
Ivy League Schools do not require you to take the SAT Essay. The same goes for many other premier institutions like Stanford, Caltech, MIT, and NYU.