No Kansas university requires the SAT or ACT for Fall 2027 admission; all are test-optional. The one place a test score still matters by rule rather than choice is the Kansas Board of Regents' Qualified Admissions standard, which guarantees admission to Kansas's six state universities to any accredited-high-school graduate who meets a GPA threshold OR an ACT 21 (SAT 1060 equivalent). Published score ranges describe a cohort; they are not admission cutoffs.
The table covers 8 colleges Kansas families apply to most, from the most selective to the large public universities. Read each cohort note before comparing numbers. The bottom rows show the score-based money Kansas families can earn: Kansas State Scholarship (designation + award) and University of Kansas Chancellor's Scholarship (for contrast: GPA-only).
| School | SAT profile / cohort | ACT | Acceptance rate | Testing, fall 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kansas | 1100-1290 · enrolled, fall 2026 (CDS 2026-27) | 20-27 | 94.3% · fall 2026 (CDS 2026-27: 20, 347 admitted of 21, 574 applicants) | Test-optional |
| Kansas State University | 1060-1255 · enrolled, fall 2024 (CDS 2024-25) | 20-27 | Not reported | Test-optional |
| Wichita State University | 1043-1260 [dated: fall 2019 cohort, most recent located] · enrolled, fall 2019 (CDS 2019-20) | 20-27 | Not reported | Test-optional |
| Fort Hays State University | Not published | Not published | Not reported | Test-optional |
| Pittsburg State University | Not published | Not published | Not reported | Test-optional |
| Emporia State University | Not published | 18-24 | Not reported | Test-optional |
| Washburn University | Not published | Not published | Not reported | Neither required nor recommended |
| Baker University | Not published | Not published | Not reported | Test-optional |
| Kansas State Scholarship (designation + award) | No published SAT equivalent for the designation index; based on ACT composite | See program rules | up to $4,000 (4 years at $1,000/year, need permitting) over 4 years | Up to $1,000 per year ($500/semester), paid only if the student also shows financial need on the FAFSA. Designation as a 'Kansas State Scholar' requires completing the Kansas Scholars Curriculum and ranking in roughly the top half (about 2,500 of 5,000 students) by an index combining ACT score and GPA; the 2025 class of State Scholars averaged a 29 ACT and 3.93 GPA. |
| University of Kansas Chancellor's Scholarship (for contrast: GPA-only) | not required | See program rules | ~$20,000 (in-state, $5,000/year for 4 years) over 4 years | $5,000 per year for Kansas residents with a 3.95+ GPA, down to $1,000 per year at a 3.25 GPA (non-resident tiers pay far more, up to $16,000/year at 3.95+); no SAT or ACT score factors into the award at all |
Cohort notes: KU: Only 6.2% of KU's enrolled Fall 2026 first-years submitted an SAT score; 49.7% submitted an ACT score instead. K-State: K-State's own 2024-25 Common Data Set reports an SAT composite 25th-75th percentile of 1060-1255 for enrolled first-time first-year students. Fort Hays State: One of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities covered by the statewide Qualified Admissions standard. Pittsburg State: One of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities covered by the statewide Qualified Admissions standard. Emporia State: Emporia State's own 2024-25 Common Data Set leaves the SAT composite cells blank and reports ACT only (25th-75th 18-24); one of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities. Washburn: A municipal university in Topeka, not one of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities and not covered by the statewide Qualified Admissions standard. Baker: A small private university in Baldwin City; figures are a secondary aggregation only. These are not interchangeable measures.
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Find my teen's target scoreKU reports a 1100 to 1290 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2026 (CDS 2026-27)). It admitted 94.3% of 21,574 applicants (fall 2026 (CDS 2026-27: 20, 347 admitted of 21, 574 applicants)). The matching ACT range is 20-27. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional. Only 6.2% of KU's enrolled Fall 2026 first-years submitted an SAT score; 49.7% submitted an ACT score instead.
K-State reports a 1060 to 1255 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2024 (CDS 2024-25)). The matching ACT range is 20-27. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional. K-State's own 2024-25 Common Data Set reports an SAT composite 25th-75th percentile of 1060-1255 for enrolled first-time first-year students.
Wichita State reports a 1043 to 1260 middle 50% SAT (enrolled, fall 2019 (CDS 2019-20)). The matching ACT range is 20-27. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional.
Fort Hays State does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional. One of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities covered by the statewide Qualified Admissions standard.
Pittsburg State does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional. One of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities covered by the statewide Qualified Admissions standard.
Emporia State does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. The matching ACT range is 18-24. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional. Emporia State's own 2024-25 Common Data Set leaves the SAT composite cells blank and reports ACT only (25th-75th 18-24); one of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities.
Washburn does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: Neither required nor recommended. A municipal university in Topeka, not one of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities and not covered by the statewide Qualified Admissions standard.
Baker does not publish a composite SAT range for its latest class. Testing for fall 2027: Test-optional. A small private university in Baldwin City; figures are a secondary aggregation only.
Kansas's one real test-score-linked state program is the Kansas State Scholarship: a student is designated a 'Kansas State Scholar' through an index combining ACT composite and 7th-semester GPA, though the award itself then pays based on financial need, up to $1,000 a year.
Kansas State Scholarship (designation + award): No published SAT equivalent for the designation index; based on ACT composite. Up to $1,000 per year ($500/semester), paid only if the student also shows financial need on the FAFSA. Designation as a 'Kansas State Scholar' requires completing the Kansas Scholars Curriculum and ranking in roughly the top half (about 2,500 of 5,000 students) by an index combining ACT score and GPA; the 2025 class of State Scholars averaged a 29 ACT and 3.93 GPA.
University of Kansas Chancellor's Scholarship (for contrast: GPA-only): Not required. $5,000 per year for Kansas residents with a 3.95+ GPA, down to $1,000 per year at a 3.25 GPA (non-resident tiers pay far more, up to $16,000/year at 3.95+); no SAT or ACT score factors into the award at all.
The Kansas State Scholarship's designation step is merit-based (ACT + GPA index, no separate application), but the payout is then need-based and capped by state funding, so a designated Scholar without financial need may receive nothing. By contrast, KU's own largest scholarships pay far more and depend only on GPA, with no test score involved whatsoever, which is the more reliable 'big dollar' path for most Kansas families.
KU, K-State, Wichita State and Fort Hays State are test optional for fall 2027, so many families assume the score is irrelevant. The ranges above come from the students who chose to send one, and they sit well above the overall class. Washburn still require a score. A strong score is one more reason for a school to say yes, and a weak one can simply stay home.
An ACT composite of 21 (or an SAT of 1060) guarantees admission to all six Kansas Board of Regents universities when combined with the right GPA: a 2.25 GPA at Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, and Wichita State; a 3.25 GPA at Kansas State; or, at the University of Kansas, a 2.0 GPA. Without that score, a 3.25 GPA alone guarantees admission everywhere except K-State, which also requires the 3.25 GPA floor.
There is no fixed cutoff published; a student is designated a Kansas State Scholar through an index that combines ACT composite with 7th-semester GPA, with roughly the top half of Kansas Scholars Curriculum completers earning the designation each year. The 2025 class of Scholars averaged a 29 ACT and a 3.93 GPA, well above the Qualified Admissions floor of 21.
No. KU is test-optional, and its enrolled Fall 2026 first-year class shows why few students bother: only 6.2% submitted an SAT score, versus 49.7% who submitted an ACT score instead.
Among KU's enrolled Fall 2026 first-year class, the middle 50% who submitted an SAT scored 1100 to 1290, with an average of 1190. That is a small slice of the class; the ACT is by far the more common score at KU.
No, but they are linked. The Kansas Scholars Curriculum is a specific set of rigorous high school courses (4 years each of English and math, 3 of science and social science, 2 of one foreign language); completing it is what puts a student in the pool that the Kansas Board of Regents then ranks by ACT and GPA to decide who becomes a Kansas State Scholar.
No. A middle 50% describes the central half of the reported group, not an admission cutoff. Some rows describe enrolled students or score submitters only, as labeled. A position within a range does not guarantee admission or merit aid.
University and state sources: KU, K-State, Wichita State, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, Emporia State, Washburn, Baker, Kansas State Scholarship (designation + award), University of Kansas Chancellor's Scholarship (for contrast: GPA-only). Reviewed October 9, 2026. Cohorts and entry terms differ; confirm current requirements with each admissions office.
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