This Week in College Admissions
Four shifts every college-bound family should know — and what to do about them.
It was a busy week in college admissions. A federal court hit pause on a major Trump administration enforcement effort. The Department of Education pushed live a mid-cycle FAFSA overhaul that is already producing processing delays. Class of 2030 acceptance and yield data continued to roll in. And the steady drift of selective schools back toward required testing picked up another data point.
If you have a student in high school, here is what changed in the past seven days — and what it means for the decisions you are making right now.
The Ivies Want Test Scores Again
Seven of the eight Ivy League schools have now reinstated standardized testing requirements. Princeton confirmed this week that testing will be required for students entering Fall 2027, joining Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, Yale, and UPenn. Stanford, MIT, and Caltech are also test-required. More than 20 highly selective universities have either returned to requiring scores or signaled they will within the next admissions cycle.
Test-optional remains the dominant policy across more than 2,000 four-year colleges, and that is genuinely good news for many students. But at the most selective end of the market, two things are happening simultaneously: schools are reinstating the requirement outright, and at the schools that remain officially optional, the share of admitted students who submitted scores is climbing fast.
“Treat testing as required even when the policy says optional.”
A Mid-Cycle FAFSA Overhaul Is Causing Delays Right Now
On April 26, Federal Student Aid pushed live a significant set of system updates tied to Title IV changes mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The update affects the Federal Processing System, the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), and the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System. An updated 2026–27 ISIR format is in production, and modified loan limits and eligibility rules will take effect July 1, 2026.
NSLDS post-screening was paused for one week during the transition. Translation: any FAFSA filed or updated around April 26 will see processing delays, and updated post-screening codes will not surface until early May. Earlier in April, the Department also announced that real-time identity fraud detection has been built into FAFSA processing, which is catching small mismatches between names and Social Security records before applications get fully processed.
Early Decision Is Now Eating the Class
Class of 2030 results have continued to come in this week, and they confirm what counselors have been watching for years. Selective colleges now fill 40–70% of their incoming classes through Early Decision and Early Action.
A few data points: Yale’s Single Choice Early Action admit rate was 10.9% (779 acceptances from 7,140 applicants). Brown’s ED admit rate was 16.5%. Duke’s ED admit rate was 13.8%. WashU fills more than 60% of its class through ED. Tulane fills roughly two-thirds of its class early. Vanderbilt, Emory, and Cornell are all in the 40–50% range.
By the time Regular Decision rolls around in January, a huge share of seats at these schools is already gone. Early admit rates are running two to four times higher than Regular Decision rates at most selective schools.
“By the time Regular Decision rolls around in January, a huge share of seats is already gone.”
The Legal and Policy Landscape Is Still Moving
Federal court blocks data-collection effort. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston issued a preliminary injunction this week halting the Trump administration’s effort to compel colleges to produce admissions data intended to verify race-neutral compliance after the Students for Fair Admissions decision. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by 17 Democratic state attorneys general. Judge Saylor wrote that the federal government likely has authority to collect this kind of data, but that the rollout was “rushed and chaotic” and prevented meaningful notice-and-comment engagement. The injunction is procedural, not substantive. Federal scrutiny of admissions practices is going to continue — it just will not happen on the original timeline. The DOJ’s separate lawsuit against Harvard over admissions records remains active.
California SB 640 is in effect. California’s direct-admission law for the CSU system, signed in October 2025, took effect January 1, 2026. Qualified California high school graduates who meet coursework and GPA requirements are now automatically admitted to 16 CSU campuses, including Sacramento State, San Francisco State, Cal Poly Humboldt, CSU Northridge, Fresno State, and Cal State LA. Eligible students will receive notification mailers, and the first cohort gains direct admission for fall 2027 enrollment. For California families, the strategic question shifts from “will I get in?” to “which campus is the right fit?”
California’s legacy admissions ban is fully in force. This is the first complete admissions cycle in which Stanford and USC are reviewing applicants without giving any advantage to children of alumni. Families who may have been counting on legacy as part of their strategy need a new plan.
None of this changes the fundamentals. Strong students with thoughtful applications and a clear-eyed list still get great outcomes. But the rules of the game keep shifting under families’ feet, and the difference between a smooth process and a stressful one is often a matter of knowing what is changing and when.
— Chris Parsons, College Planning Center
College Admissions FAQs: Testing, FAFSA, Early Decision, and College Planning Strategy
Some highly selective colleges are bringing back standardized testing requirements, while many schools remain test-optional. Families should not assume one rule applies everywhere. College Planning Centers helps students build a school-specific testing strategy based on target colleges, score strength, and admissions goals.
Students should submit scores to test-optional colleges when those scores strengthen the application compared to the school’s admitted-student profile. If scores do not help, applying without them may be the better strategy. The right choice depends on the student, the school, and the full application.
FAFSA delays can happen when federal processing systems are updated or when identity information needs review. Families should double-check student and parent names, Social Security numbers, and application details carefully. College Planning Centers can help families review the financial aid process and avoid common filing mistakes.
Early Decision can be helpful for students with a true first-choice school, a strong application, and a financially realistic plan. However, because it is usually binding, families should not choose Early Decision casually. It works best when the college list has been researched early and carefully.
College Planning Centers helps families understand how changing college admissions rules may affect testing, timelines, financial aid, and application strategy. Instead of reacting late, families can create a clear plan that adjusts as policies shift.
Strong college planning often starts before senior year because course rigor, testing windows, activities, college visits, and scholarship opportunities all take time. College Planning Centers helps students prepare earlier so the application process feels strategic instead of rushed.
College Planning Centers helps families determine whether Early Decision makes sense by reviewing academic fit, financial fit, admissions chances, and the student’s true interest in the school. This helps families avoid applying early simply because the admit rate looks higher.
Juniors should focus on narrowing the college list, planning test dates, reviewing course choices, building meaningful activities, and preparing for essays. College Planning Centers helps juniors create a timeline so each part of the college application process is handled before deadlines become stressful.
Yes. College Planning Centers supports families with financial aid planning, FAFSA awareness, scholarship guidance, and college cost conversations. This helps families compare options more clearly before committing to a college.
The biggest takeaway is that college admissions is changing quickly. Testing policies, FAFSA processing, Early Decision trends, and state admissions rules can all affect a student’s plan. Families should stay informed and work from a clear college planning strategy, not last-minute reactions.
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