Anyone have success stories on applying TO to top engineering programs? C25 not happy with SAT math score and won’t have time to take again before EA deadlines. Has 4.0 UW GPA with very high rigor in a public STEM magnet. And extracurricular are very strong Considering going TO for schools that still have this an option but worried this isn’t a realistic option for engineering programs. Thoughts?
It’s hard to put it in context without knowing the SAT scores.
Long story short, there’s no real data to answer this, but there are approaches based on intuition. The article below outlines it well.
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There’s a ton of TO or test blind schools.
I have no doubt a TO student will get into many engineering programs.
The where, the cost, etc. may or may not be impacted, etc.
But there will be no shortage of schools.
But your desires - cost and location - will matter - and perhaps his score isn’t as poor as you think (at least for some schools).
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thank you for the input!
Score is >700 and well within range for many engineering programs on her list. But she’s interested in trying for some reachy test-optional schools for which the score would be right around the 25%. So my question is really more around whether kids are getting into highly selective engineering programs without submitting scores at all because we’re hearing that even though the school might be saying they are test-optional, engineering admissions really wants to see the math scores.
Taking the test again is really not an option at this point.
All you can do is make a judgement as to whether to include or not - and apply.
And to have a balanced list - so if you don’t get in, you have other schools.
Depending on the engineering major, the where you study might not matter as much as you think from an outcome POV.
You can also look at programs like the UCs, CSUs (Cal Poly a top school), U Wash and others if they don’t look at tests. Of course, we don’t know your list, etc.
Bottom line - if you are at the 25th percentile, that means 25% of kids got in with a lesser score. DId they have a special reason for this - I can’t say - as you’ve provided little info.
Best of luck.
If she doesn’t submit her score they are not going to know it’s above 700. They’re more likely to assume it’s much lower and that’s why she didn’t submit it. I personally think you should submit, even if it’s not quite what she wanted.
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As long as she has the rest of her list in order and her expectations in check she can try. The fact that she is, well, a she, may help.
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I agree 100%. The assumption behind no test score is that it’s low. 700 is not low.
No matter her stats, the odds are very much against her at those schools anyway. It’s in no way a reflection on her and her accomplishments. It’s a simple math game of too many high stats kids applying to too few programs.
The more important thing is that it just doesn’t matter that much. No school prints golden tickets (maybe quantitative financial analysis from MIT), but certainly none for engineering. It’s pretty egalitarian out of the gate and very meritocratic from then on. There’s no correlation to any school monopolizing the best jobs, at least for technical engineering.
Best of luck to her.
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Most STEM schools are trying to get in more female students so I also think she should include it. A 700+ is a great score and if you were able to break out the scores for only female applicants, she is probably higher than she thinks.
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Knowing the actual score is helpful. This way we can honestly answer your question. I would also like to know her score breakdown.
Many, Many families “think” their scores are too low and they actually are not. If she has taken rigorous classes and done well no one score will count that greatly against her.
My view might be different. She will be compared mostly holistically against others at her school /district. Essays count also. But… It’s hard to unsee a Act 34 or a 1520 Sat.
The reader has like 10 minutes on the application. They aren’t debating the “why” she didn’t summit the score. But you might also be hurting the applicant by not doing so in this case.
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There is nothing wrong with a math score >700. Plus…if your daughter doesn’t get accepted at these tippy top programs, she will never know why.
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We also don’t know your state of residence, and if these CA or Washington colleges will be affordable for you if your DD is an out of state student.
I think having a balanced list is more important for your daughter than trying to figure out the TO or not “strategy”. It sounds like she has some realistic colleges for admissions, and the ones you are talking about would be reaches with OR without her SAT scores.
I would submit a 700+ Math score – unless the university is test blind, which she can try too since she has high rigor etc.
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Not counting the UCs, I haven’t seen it happen once to any engineering program that is universally considered a top tier engineering program. If your daughter is successful in doing this, I hope you come back and let us know.
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Test optional colleges typically admit a good portion of the class test optional, but few colleges provide stats that break down specifically to engineering, so stats are often not available for engineering students. When stats are available, they typically show a good portion of engineering students are admitted test optional, like the college as a whole.
For example, Cornell is generally considered to have the top engineering program among Ivy League colleges. ~40% of admits to Cornell Engineering have been test optional in 2021-23 compared to ~50% for A&S. However, it’s also important to note, the Cornell test optional review found the following.
Regression models that estimate the probability of admission holding constant several other factors—including high school GPA and additional student and high school characteristics—suggest that submitting test scores significantly increases the likelihood of admission in the test optional colleges but has little or no effect in the score free colleges.
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This cycle, Cornell engineering is “test recommended”. I expect that for '26 they’ll be back to test required.
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Harvey Mudd College went test optional during the pandemic. They continue to be test optional for 2025. According to their latest CDS, roughly 1/2 of the students submitted SAT scores. The 50th percentile for math was 780. However, a handful of entering students had math scores less than 700.
If the rest of the student’s application is strong, go for it.
It’s also relevant how many submit ACT scores. In the most recent CDS, it was 51% SAT and 17% ACT. Prior to COVID, ~20% of students submitted both SAT and ACT. If I assume a similar ratio among current test submitters, then it suggests ~60% of Harvey Mudd students submitted scores, and ~40% did not submit scores.
Harvey Mudd doesn’t separate % submitting engineering vs non-engineering, but the overwhelming students major in something STEM related. A more detailed breakdown is below:
~45% Major in CS or CS+Math
~35% Major in Engineering
~10% Major in Physical Sciences
~5% Major in Biological Sciences
~5% Major in Math
In answer to the OP’s question, a fraction of the admitted students were TO, and some fraction may be engineers. The OP was probably interested in personal examples, but we only have statistics.