ACT® Science Is Optional. College Admissions Are Not That Simple.
The new ACT® gives students more choice, but colleges are responding to that choice differently.
I have already covered the ACT® changes themselves in earlier posts, first in Big Changes to the ACT®: What We Know So Far and later in 5 Major Changes Coming Soon to the ACT®: What Test Takers Need to Know. By now, you and many students know the basics. ACT announced the changes in 2024, began rolling them out in 2025, and now the enhanced ACT® is an option test takers have.
What is still easy to misunderstand, though, is what those ACT® changes actually mean for admissions decisions.
A student sees that the ACT® science section is optional now and thinks, “One less thing to worry about!” In some cases, that may be true. In others, that conclusion could lead to the wrong testing decision. While ACT says the science section is now optional on the enhanced test, ACT also says that some colleges may still require or prefer a science score and that students should check their college list carefully before deciding to skip it.
The bigger issue isn’t what changed on the ACT®; the bigger issue is whether students are drawing the wrong conclusion from those changes.
A Quick Refresher on What ACT Actually Changed
At this point, I imagine you don’t need another full recap of the changes. Still, it helps to restate the specific parts that matter for the sake of this discussion.
On the enhanced ACT®, English, math, and reading make up the core test. Science is optional. Writing is also optional. ACT®’s Composite score is now based on English, math, and reading rather than English, math, reading, and science. Students who take science still receive a science score, and that science score can still be used with math to calculate a STEM score.
That change helps explain why students may be tempted to treat science like an easy add-on to skip. If science no longer affects the Composite, and if science is no longer required by ACT itself, it is understandable that some students would assume it no longer matters much in the bigger picture.
But that is exactly where a testing decision can turn into a college-planning problem later.
ACT Changed the Test, But Colleges Still Make Their Own Rules.
This is the part students really need to understand.
ACT controls the test format. ACT controls how ACT reports scores. ACT does not control how colleges choose to use those scores in admissions. ACT’s own superscore guidance says the enhanced ACT® Superscore Composite is based on English, math, and reading, but ACT also tells students to check with colleges because not every college superscores or uses ACT® scores the same way. ACT’s own enhancements page goes a step further and tells students that some colleges may still require or prefer a science score.
A student can look at the redesigned ACT® and think the decision is simple: skip science, conserve energy, and focus on the three sections that now drive the Composite score. But colleges are not all responding to this change equally. Once students start looking at actual admissions pages, they may find that some colleges still require or prefer applicants who took the science section.
What Current College Policies Are Showing
Once you start looking at real college policies, this is where the science assumptions start falling apart.
Georgetown is one of the clearest examples. It considers the English, Math, Reading, and Science sections of the ACT® in its review process. Georgetown also says it does not use the new ACT® superscore optional reports and asks applicants to send all individual ACT® scores from each test administration. Boston University is another strong example. BU says it only accepts ACT® scores that include the Science subsection, while the Writing subsection remains optional.
Those two examples alone should be enough to stop students from making blanket assumptions about the need for science scores. A student who decides too quickly that science no longer matters could make their ACT® a weaker or less usable option at some colleges than expected. That does not mean every student should automatically take science. It does mean the choice should be made carefully.
At the same time, some colleges really are treating the science section as optional. Princeton says that beginning in the 2025–26 application cycle, the science section of the redesigned ACT® is optional. Princeton also states it will accept both the original and enhanced ACT® and has no preference between them. Tufts is similarly direct. Tufts says it does not require the ACT® science section score from students who choose to submit the ACT®, and submission of the ACT® science score is optional.
That matters too. Some colleges really are giving applicants more flexibility, so this is not a case where every student should automatically take science. Students need to know which situation applies to the colleges on their actual list.
Other colleges fall somewhere in the middle.
Vanderbilt does not require an ACT ® science section. But for students who submit ACT® scores with science, Vanderbilt says it will calculate a superscore that includes science only if the science score raises the student’s superscore. Vanderbilt even states that in its process, the science section can only help an application and will not hurt it. George Washington University gives a different nuance.
George Washington University says the ACT® science section is not required, except for students applying to the seven-year B.A./M.D. program. That’s another point to consider: while some schools may not require the ACT® science section for general admission, specific programs may require it for consideration.
That is why it’s important to strategize before deciding to take the ACT® science section. Before making that decision, students need to look closely at the colleges on their list. Some still clearly want the science section, some genuinely do not, and some may consider it helpful or require it only in certain situations.
Why This Matters to ACT® Takers
If a student is trying to reduce test fatigue and make prep time and test day more manageable, skipping science may seem like the obvious choice. And for some students, it might be the right move. But this is not just a question of stamina or wanting a shorter exam day. It is also a question of whether that choice could limit options later.
Students who are still narrowing their college lists should be careful with that choice. A student who skips science in junior year because “it’s optional now” may later decide to apply to Georgetown or BU and realize that the decision had more consequences than expected. A student aiming at a school like Vanderbilt may also miss a chance to submit a stronger ACT® score profile if the science section could have helped. A student looking at a specialized pathway like GW’s B.A./M.D. program could miss an application exception that really matters for admission.
This Is a College-Planning Decision, Not Just a Testing Decision.
Whether to take ACT® science is no longer just a testing question. It is a college-planning question.
If a student already has a settled college list that includes schools clearly stating that science is not required, then skipping it may be a perfectly reasonable choice. But if a student’s list is still taking shape, includes highly selective schools, leans STEM-heavy, or includes specialized programs with their own admissions requirements, the safer move may be to keep the science section in play. ACT itself essentially points students in that direction by noting that some colleges may still require or prefer a science score.
This is also one of those situations where a school’s general testing policy may not tell the whole story. GW is a good example of that. A student could see that science is not required for general admission and stop there, without realizing that science is still required for applicants to a specific program. That kind of detail is easy to miss, and it matters.
Final Thoughts
The ACT® changes themselves are old news by now. The misunderstanding around them is not.
For some students, skipping the science section will be the right call. For others, it could narrow options or create complications later. That is why this decision should be made strategically, not automatically. The ACT® science section may be optional, but deciding whether to take it still deserves deliberation.