SAT total (median)
Stanford and the test-optional rebound
Stanford's 2025-26 CDS reinstates a standardized test requirement.
SAT total (median) — Stanford, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth
Multiple top schools went test-optional during the pandemic. Several — MIT, Dartmouth, Yale, Stanford — have now reversed course and reinstated test requirements.
The published median SAT scores at these schools tell a quiet story: test-optional years skew higher (only confident submitters reported), and the post-policy mix is changing again.
Takeaway: Reported test medians are partly a function of who chose to submit. Post-rebound years will be more comparable.