Which Colleges Require the SAT Essay Complete List

Which Colleges Require the SAT Essay Complete List SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Planning to take the SAT? Before you sign up, you need to decide whether you’re going to take the test with or without the optional Essay. How should you pick? Well, some colleges require that you apply with the SAT with Essay; others don’t care whether you submit an SAT score with or without the Essay. In this article, I’ll provide you with a complete list of colleges that require or recommend taking the SAT with the Essay. What Is the Optional SAT Essay? The redesigned SAT debuted in March 2016 along with a now-optional Essay section. For the Essay, you have 50 minutes to read a passage (similar to those you see on the Reading section) and write an essay dissecting how the author made the argument. Did the author use evidence to support the main claim? Appeals to emotion? Specific word choice? If you take the SAT without Essay, the test length is three hours. However, if you take the SAT with Essay, the optional Essay adds 50 minutes. It also costs more to take the SAT with Essay: $64.50 vs $47.50 without the Essay. Don't automatically assume you must take the Essay. Whether it's important for you depends on which schools (and scholarships) you're applying to, and what the rest of your application looks like. I'll go into more depth later about how to decide which version of the SAT to take. See if you need to take the SAT with Essay to end up here! List of Schools That Require the SAT With Essay Below, I’ve compiled a list of colleges that require or recommend taking the SAT with Essay. Info comes from the College Board and some individual schools who we consulted separately. NOTE: This list is subject to change, so make sure to double-check with each school you’re applying to. School State/Country Require or Recommend Abilene Christian University TX Recommend Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences NY Recommend Allegheny College PA Recommend Amherst College MA Recommend Art Institute of Houston TX Recommend Augsburg University MN Recommend Austin College TX Recommend Benedictine University IL Require Caldwell University NJ Recommend California State University, Northridge CA Recommend Central Connecticut State University CT Recommend Central Michigan University MI Recommend Cheyney University of Pennsylvania PA Recommend City University London UK Require Coastal Carolina University SC Recommend College of Wooster OH Recommend Colorado School of Mines CO Recommend Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art NY Recommend Corban University OR Recommend Cornerstone University MI Recommend Dallas Christian College TX Recommend Davidson College NC Recommend Delaware State University DE Require DeSales University PA Require Dominican University of California CA Require Eastern University PA Recommend Eastern Illinois University IL Recommend Eastern Nazarene College MA Recommend Five Towns College NY Recommend Gallaudet University DC Recommend George Washington University DC Recommend Georgia Highlands College GA Recommend Greenville University IL Recommend High Point University NC Require Hofstra University NY Recommend Holy Family University PA Recommend Howard University DC Recommend Husson University ME Recommend Indiana University Southeast IN Recommend Indiana Wesleyan University IN Recommend Inter American University of Puerto Rico: Barranquitas Campus Puerto Rico Recommend John Wesley University NC Require Juilliard School NY Recommend Kentucky State University KY Require Lehigh University PA Recommend Madonna University MI Recommend Manhattan College NY Recommend Martin Luther College MN Require Marymount California University CA Recommend Massachusetts Maritime Academy MA Recommend McMurry University TX Recommend Molloy College NY Require Montana Tech of the University of Montana MT Recommend Morehouse College GA Recommend Mount Saint Mary College NY Recommend Mount St. Joseph University OH Recommend New Jersey City University NJ Recommend Nichols College MA Recommend North Park University IL Recommend Occidental College CA Recommend Ohio University OH Recommend Oregon State University OR Recommend Purdue University Northwest IN Recommend Randall University OK Recommend Randolph-Macon College VA Recommend Reading Area Community College PA Recommend Rowan University NJ Recommend Rutgers University- Camden Campus NJ Recommend Saint Michael's College VT Recommend Schreiner University TX Require SciencesPo France Recommend Seton Hill University PA Recommend Shiloh University IA Recommend Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania PA Recommend Silver Lake College of the Holy Family WI Recommend Soka University of America CA Require Southern California Institute of Architecture CA Require Southern Illinois University Carbondale IL Recommend Southern Oregon University OR Recommend Spring Hill College AL Recommend Stanford University CA Recommend Sul Ross State University TX Recommend SUNY Farmingdale State College NY Recommend SUNY University at Stony Brook NY Recommend Texas AM International University TX Recommend Texas AM University TX Recommend Texas AM University- Galveston TX Require Texas State University TX Recommend The King's College NY Recommend United States Military Academy (West Point) NY Require University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) CA Require University of California, Davis (UC Davis) CA Require University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) CA Require University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) CA Require University of California, Merced CA Require University of California, Riverside CA Require University of California, San Diego (UCSD) CA Require University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) CA Require University of California, Santa Cruz CA Require University of Evansville IN Recommend University of La Verne CA Recommend University of Mary Hardin- Baylor TX Recommend University of Massachusetts Amherst MA Recommend University of Minnesota, Twin Cities MN Recommend University of New England ME Recommend University of North Texas TX Require University of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Recommend University of Toledo OH Recommend University of Washington Bothell WA Recommend VanderCook College of Music IL Recommend Virginia Union University VA Recommend Wabash College IN Recommend Webb Institute NY Recommend Webber International University FL Recommend Wesleyan College GA Recommend West Virginia University WV Require West Virginia University Institute of Technology WV Require Western Carolina University NC Require William Jessup University CA Recommend William Jewell College MO Recommend Surprisingly (and in contrast to how it's been in the past), top schools mostly do not require the SAT essay. Currently, no Ivy League School requires students to take the SAT with Essay; the same is true for Caltech, Duke, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, NYU, and UChicago. Many of these schools no longer even recommend students take the SAT with Essay, which is a huge turnaround from even a couple of years ago. Most liberal arts colleges do not require or recommend the SAT with Essay. However, there are a few exceptions: Soka University requires it, and Amherst College and Occidental College both recommend it. In general, most state schools also do not require the SAT with Essay, although there's still a significant portion which do. There tends to be some weird variance even within states. For example, all University of California schools require the SAT with Essay, but most of the California State University schools do not. Regardless of the types of schools you're applying to, don’t assume that they all ask for the SAT with Essay. Check with every school to make sure you understand their testing requirements. To take or not to take, that is the question. How to Decide Whether to Take the SAT Essay When making your decision about whether to take the SAT with Essay or the SAT without Essay, you'll need to consider the following four questions: #1: Do Any Schools I Want to Apply to Require the SAT Essay? If you’re applying to any school that requires the Essay, then you must take the SAT with Essay. If you take the SAT without Essay, your application will be incomplete and you won't get admitted. By contrast, if you apply to any schools that don't require the SAT Essay, you can still take the SAT with Essay since these schools will accept both types of SAT scores (with or without Essay). To reiterate, colleges that require the SAT Essay won't consider your score if you took the SAT without the Essay. The last thing you want to do is take the SAT without the Essay and get a good score- but then find out that one of your target schools requires you to take the SAT with Essay. Remember that some colleges change their application policies from year to year, so make sure to double-check the testing policies of the schools you’re applying to. #2: Do Any Schools I Want to Apply to Recommend the SAT Essay? If you're not applying to any schools that require the SAT Essay section but are applying to some that recommend it, then I'd still suggest taking it. This gives you another dimension schools can use to evaluate your application. However, there are some cases in which you shouldn't take the SAT with Essay as well. If, for some reason, you do not qualify for SAT fee waivers and paying the extra cost to take the SAT with Essay would be a financial burden to you, then please don't feel like you have to take it; in this case, it's fine to take the SAT without Essay instead. In addition, if you really struggle to write essays under time constraints (due to anxiety), you might want to opt out of the Essay. However, I only recommend this for students who normally have strong English and writing skills but struggle to write coherent essays when there's the added pressure of a time constraint. For example, do you get As on essays you can work on at home but Cs on in-class essays because you get easily nervous? If that's the case, taking the SAT with Essay might not be a good idea. #3: Am I Applying to Any Scholarships That Require an SAT With Essay Score? Many scholarships (such as National Merit) require you to submit SAT scores, and some specifically want SAT with Essay scores. Therefore, be sure to check the requirements of each scholarship you're planning on applying for. While scholarships that don’t require or recommend the SAT Essay should still accept your SAT with Essay score, scholarships that require the Essay section will not consider your SAT score if you took the no-essay version. #4: Will the SAT Essay Enhance My Application in Other Ways? Generally speaking, taking the SAT Essay if it's not required won't add a lot to your application. In truth, colleges that don't recommend or require the Essay really don't pay much attention to it. However, the Essay might be helpful for international students who want to prove they have strong English skills and who think they'll do especially well on it. If you fall into this category and feel confident that you'll get a high score on it (after doing practice essays, for example), definitely consider taking the SAT with Essay. On the other hand, if you don't think you'll do well on the Essay, I recommend against taking it. What’s Next? Need help preparing for the SAT? Read our ultimate study guide to get expert tips on prep and access to the best free online resources. If you're taking the test soon, learn how to cram for the SAT. Want to learn more about the SAT Essay? Check out our step-by-step guide to writing a great Essay. Not sure where you want to go to college? Learn how to do college research right and figure out your SAT target score. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!