Testing Policy

While only you can decide for yourself whether or not to submit your testing. We can offer you some guidance as you make that decision.

You might choose to submit testing if: 

• You believe your scores accurately reflect your academic performance and will strengthen your application.
• Your scores accentuate your strength more than other aspects of your academic record.
• Your test scores are above the average for your high school. (You can usually find this information online)
• You are a homeschooled student or come from a school with a non-traditional curriculum (this includes anyone who combines online learning, local college or other education methods with more traditional classroom instruction)

You might choose to not submit testing if: 

• You have been unable to take the SAT/ACT
• Your scores do not effectively represent your academic ability

A school’s median testing range can also be valuable in deciding whether or not to submit your scores. Below is Davidson’s middle 50% for the SAT and ACT:

Yes, Davidson will superscore both the SAT and the ACT. 

Superscoring is the act of combining the highest individual subsections from two or more test dates. 

Yes, Davidson accepts self-reported test scores, which may be submitted in the following ways:

• Enter scores in the testing section of the Common Application, the Coalition Application, or the QuestBridge Application.
• Submit scanned copies of score reports via email to admission@davidson.edu.

Please note that because standardized test results may be used for academic advising as well as for the college's ongoing research into the relationship between standardized testing and student success, all entering first-year students who possess test results are requested to submit official scores prior to matriculating at Davidson for institutional research purposes or as part of the NCAA eligibility requirements for scholar-athletes.

Davidson verifies scores for all enrolling students who elected to submit and self-reported their scores. Discrepancies between self-reported and official scores may jeopardize a student’s place at the college. Official test scores may be submitted in any of the following ways:

• Sent directly from the testing agency. Our testing codes are 5150 for College Board (SAT) and 3086 for ACT.
• Sent directly by the student's high school counselor via email (admission@davidson.edu).
• Sent directly by the student's high school counselor via notation on an official transcript.

While international applicants are test-optional for SAT/ACT, all international applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to demonstrate they possess the level of communication skills necessary to thrive in Davidson’s dynamic and immersive educational environment.

To satisfy this requirement, we accept results from TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo’s English Test (DET).

Learn More About Application Requirements for International Students

We strongly recommend that home-schooled applicants and candidates applying from non-traditional schools submit either ACT or SAT test results, though they are not required.