Colleges that Require the ACT Writing Test

If you're trying to decide whether you should take the ACT Plus Writing or just the regular ACT, the list below can help. It includes all of the colleges and universities that require the ACT writing section. Realize, however, that there are hundreds of colleges that "recommend" the ACT Plus Writing even if they don't require it. Unless you know that the schools to which you are applying don't care about the writing section, it may be wise to spend the extra half an hour and $15 to take the ACT Plus Writing.

The schools that require the ACT Writing Test range from elite Ivy League schools to small unaccredited colleges that you probably haven't heard of. I've listed the schools by state.

The schools on the list were identified using ACT's search tool. Colleges change their requirements frequently, so be sure to double-check with the schools for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

You can click on a school's name to get more information including acceptance rates and typical ACT and SAT scores for admitted students.

Alabama

Auburn University
University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa ('Bama, UA, Alabama)

Alaska

None

Arizona

None

Arkansas

None

California

Chapman University
Claremont McKenna College
Golden State Baptist College
Harvey Mudd College
Occidental College
Patten University
San Jose State University (SJSU)
Soka University of America
Stanford University
Thomas Aquinas College
University of California at Berkeley (Berkeley)
University of California at Davis (UC Davis)
University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine)
University of California at Los Angelos (UCLA)
University of California at Merced (UCM)
University of California at Riverside (UCR)
University of California at San Diego (UCSD)
University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB)
University of La Verne
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California (USC)
Westmont College
Whittier College

Colorado

None

Connecticut

Coast Guard Academy (USCGA)
Quinnipiac University
University of Connecticut at Storrs (UConn)
Yale University

Delaware

University of Delaware (UD)

District of Columbia

American University
Catholic University
Howard University
University of the District of Columbia

Florida

Flagler College
Florida A&M (FAMU)
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)
Florida State University
New College of Florida
Trinity Baptist College
Trinity College of Florida
University of Central Florida (UCF)
University of Florida at Gainesville
University of South Florida at Tampa

Georgia

Berry College
Covenant College
Emory University
Georgia College & State University (GCSU)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
Georgia Southern University
Georgia State University
Life University
Morris Brown College
Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU)
University of Georgia at Athens

Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Idaho

College of Idaho

Illinois

Morthland College
Northwestern University
Principia College
St. Joseph College Seminary
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Wheaton College, Illinois

Indiana

Butler University
DePauw University
Earlham College
Fairhaven Baptist College
Hanover College
Indiana University at Bloomington
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Indiana University East
Indiana University Kokomo
Marian University
Purdue University
Purdue University Calumet
University of Evansville
Wabash College

Iowa

None

Kansas

None

Kentucky

None

Louisiana

Louisiana State University (LSU)

Maine

Husson University

Maryland

Towson University
University of Maryland at College Park
Washington Adventist University

Massachusetts

Atlantic Union College
Babson College
Bentley University
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Eastern Nazarene College
Emerson College
Endicott College
Framingham State College
Gordon College
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Northeastern University
Springfield College
Suffolk University
Tufts University
University of Massachusetts Boston
Wellesley College (photo tour)
Williams College

Michigan

Kalamazoo College
Michigan State University
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Minnesota

Carlton College
Martin Luther College
University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD)
University of Minnesota, Morris
University of Minnesota, Rochester
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Mississippi

None

Missouri

Evangel University

Montana

University of Montana-Western
Yellowstone Baptist College

Nebraska

None

Nevada

None

New Hampshire

Dartmouth College
Franklin Pierce University
UNH, University of New Hampshire (Durham)

New Jersey

Caldwell College
Monmouth University
Princeton University
Rutgers University at New Brunswick
Seton Hall University

New Mexico

Santa Fe University of Art & Design

New York

Adelphi University
Albany (SUNY)
Barnard College
Binghamton University (SUNY Binghamton)
Columbia University
Concordia College
Cornell University
Five Towns College
Hofstra University
Ithaca College
John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY)
List College (Jewish Theological Seminary of America)
Mount Saint Mary College
New Paltz (SUNY)
New York University (NYU)
Old Westbury (SUNY)
Pratt Institute
Skidmore College
Stony Brook University (SUNY)
Syracuse University
University at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)
Vassar College
West Point (United States Military Academy)

North Carolina

Appalachian State University
Barber-Scotia College
Duke University
East Carolina University
Elizabeth City State University
Elon University
Fayetteville State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T)
North Carolina Central University (NCCU)
North Carolina State University
Queens University of Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
University of North Carolina, Pembroke
University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW)
Wake Forest University
Western Carolina University
Winston-Salem State University

North Dakota

Dickinson State University

Ohio

Case Western Reserve University
College of Wooster
God’s Bible School and College
Kent State University
Miami University, Ohio
Oberlin College
Ohio State University, Columbus
Ohio State University, Lima
Ohio State University, Mansfield
Ohio State University, Marion
Ohio State University, Newark
Pontifical College Josephinum
University of Cincinnati
University of Toledo

Oklahoma

Southern Nazarene University
Southwestern Christian University

Oregon

Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT)
Oregon State University at Corvallis
Portland State University
University of Oregon at Eugene
Western Oregon University (WOU)

Pennsylvania

Arcadia University
Bryn Athyn College of the New Church
Bucknell University
Carnegie Mellon University
Delaware Valley College
Duquesne University
Haverford College
Holy Family University
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Moravian College
Muhlenberg College
Penn State University (Main Campus)
Penn State, Abington
Penn State, Altoona
Penn State, Beaver
Penn State, Berks
Penn State, Delaware
Penn State, DuBois
Penn State, Erie
Penn State, Fayette
Penn State, Harrisburg
Penn State, Hazleton
Penn State, Lehigh Valley
Penn State, McKeesport
Penn State, Mont Alto
Penn State, New Kensington
Penn State, Schuylkill
Penn State, Shenango
Penn State, Wilkes-Barre
Penn State, Worthington
Penn State, York
Swarthmore College
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh (Pitt)
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg
Ursinus College
Villanova University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
York College of Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Brown University
Bryant University
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

South Carolina

Clemson University
Francis Marion University
Lander University
University of South Carolina at Columbia (USC)
Wofford College

South Dakota

Oglala Lakota College

Tennessee

American Baptist College
Mid-South Christian College
Tennessee Temple University
Vanderbilt University

Texas

Austin College
Baylor University
Dallas Baptist University
Hardin-Simmons University
Howard Payne University
Midwestern State University
Paul Quinn College
Rice University
Schreiner University
St. Edward's University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Tarleton State University
Texas A&M at College Station
Texas A&M at Galveston Texas State University
University of Dallas
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
University of St. Thomas
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)

Utah

None

Vermont

Saint Michael's College
University of Vermont at Burlington

Virginia

University of Virginia at Charlottesville
Virginia Tech
Washington and Lee University

Washington

University of Washington Bothell
University of Washington at Seattle
University of Washington Tacoma

West Virginia

None

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Wyoming

None