The SAT or ACT is the requirement
Harvard requires the SAT or ACT to meet its standardised testing requirement.
Undergraduate · Harvard College
Harvard College: A-levels, the IB and the SAT or ACT requirement
Many A-level and IB students assume their national qualification replaces US standardised testing. For Harvard College it does not: Harvard requires the SAT or ACT, and accepts A-level or IB results only in exceptional cases when the SAT or ACT is not accessible. This guide explains that distinction and what else Harvard says international applicants need. Harvard's page carries no entry-year label, so everything here is treated as evidence for the previous cycle, not as the 2028 requirement.
Official information · read 25 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Harvard says about testing and international qualifications
Taken from Harvard College's official International Applicants page and read on 25 October 2026. The page carries no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; Harvard's requirements for the 2028-entry cycle should be checked when they are published.
A-level and IB results are exceptional-case alternatives
In exceptional cases, when the SAT or ACT is not accessible to a student, Harvard says one of the following can meet the requirement: AP results, IB actual or predicted scores, GCSE and A-level actual or predicted results, or national leaving exam results or predictions.
What counts as exceptional
Harvard says exceptional cases typically involve challenges in paying for or accessing a test site, or being unable to secure a seat before the Regular Decision deadline. Applicants with other testing are still expected to take the SAT or ACT where cost or availability would not limit them.
English proficiency tests do not replace the SAT or ACT
The TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo cannot be used to meet the testing requirement. First-year applicants are not required to take an English proficiency exam, but may submit scores.
Same process for all applicants
The application requirements are the same inside or outside the US. All first-year candidates complete the Common Application with the required supplements, and Harvard says it has no quotas on international applicants.
Official sources
Read on 25 October 2026 on Harvard College's International Applicants page. The page carries no entry-year label. The detailed Application Requirements page, SAT and ACT dates and score expectations, deadlines and financial aid rules were not read and are not stated.
The rule
National qualifications are not a general substitute for the SAT or ACT
Harvard's wording is direct: it requires the SAT or ACT. The alternatives it lists, which include IB scores and GCSE and A-level results, apply in exceptional cases when the SAT or ACT is not accessible. That is a narrow exception, not a choice. Harvard also says applicants who have other forms of testing are still expected to take the SAT or ACT if cost or availability would not limit their ability to do so.
What exceptional means
Access and cost, not preference
Harvard describes exceptional cases as typically involving challenges in paying for or accessing a test site, or being unable to secure an available seat before the Regular Decision deadline. It says the Admissions Committee does not expect applicants to go to extraordinary measures to reach a test site. A student who simply prefers to rely on A-level or IB results has not described an exceptional case in Harvard's terms.
If you can take the SAT or ACT
Plan to take it. Harvard expects applicants with other testing to submit SAT or ACT scores where cost or availability would not limit them.
If you cannot access a test
Harvard says applicants have an opportunity to explain why they cannot submit the SAT or ACT, and A-level or IB results, actual or predicted, can then meet the requirement.
Predicted results
Harvard's list includes predicted results as well as actual ones, which matters for students applying before their examinations.
English language
No English proficiency exam is required
Harvard says first-year and transfer applicants are not required to take an English proficiency exam, though scores may be submitted. It also says the TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo cannot be used to meet the standardised testing requirement, so they do not replace the SAT or ACT.
The process
The same application for everyone
Harvard says the application requirements are the same whether a student attends school inside or outside the US, and that all first-year candidates complete the Common Application and the required supplements. It says there are no quotas or limits at any point in the admissions process and that all students are considered in the same pool. Harvard also says it is unable to interview all applicants and that the absence of an interview will not adversely affect a candidacy. If you provide translated documents, Harvard says you should not translate them yourself and should include a copy of the original.
Integrity
The application must be the student's own
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support and is not affiliated with Harvard. Support can help a student understand the requirements, plan testing and prepare their own work. It cannot write or invent any part of a student's application, and no outcome is promised.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what is known and what to check
Harvard's page carries no entry-year label, so nothing on it is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use it to understand the structure of the requirement, then check Harvard's own pages for the 2028-entry details before acting.
The structure of the testing requirement: read 25 October 2026
The SAT or ACT rule and the exceptional-case alternatives are Harvard's wording today, without an entry-year label.
Test dates, score expectations and deadlines: not stated here
This guide has not read them. Check Harvard and the test providers for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Decide whether you will take the SAT or ACT, build a realistic test timetable around school examinations, and keep your own work, activities and school records accurate.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can A-levels or the IB replace the SAT or ACT for Harvard?
Only in exceptional cases. Harvard requires the SAT or ACT, and says that when it is not accessible to a student, IB or A-level results, actual or predicted, can meet the requirement.
What does Harvard consider an exceptional case?
Challenges in paying for or accessing a test site, or being unable to secure an available seat before the Regular Decision deadline.
Do I need to take the TOEFL or IELTS?
No. Harvard says first-year applicants are not required to take an English proficiency exam, but may submit scores. These tests cannot be used instead of the SAT or ACT.
Is the process different for international applicants?
Harvard says the application requirements are the same for all applicants, and there are no quotas or limits.
Is there an interview?
Harvard says it is unable to interview all applicants and that the absence of an interview will not adversely affect a candidacy.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
They are Harvard's current wording, with no entry-year label. Check Harvard's pages again for the 2028-entry details.
Students and families
Talk to us about your US application plan
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their testing plans, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to plan.