Applicants for admission to Bucknell University are expected to be graduates of approved four-year secondary schools or provide evidence of equivalent preparation. In addition to strong academic preparation in high school, candidates must meet additional requirements for certain degree programs.
You must apply to one of our three colleges:
All three colleges use the same application.
Required for students majoring in mathematics, science, engineering, accounting, business analytics or economics (and/or students planning to take calculus at Bucknell):
Required for students majoring within the College of Engineering:
Note: Students who apply to and are accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Engineering & Bachelor of Management for Engineers five-year dual-degree program cannot drop engineering and transfer into management.
In the 2019–20 academic year, Bucknell began a five-year pilot program where students are not required to submit an SAT or ACT score as part of their application. Please note the test optional pilot has been extended an additional two years to include students applying through the 2025–26 application cycle. Please note that all students who choose to enroll at Bucknell will be required to submit an SAT or ACT score before they begin their first year. If students choose not to submit SAT or ACT scores with the application, the scores will not be used in the admissions decision. However, they will be used in the assessment of the test-optional program. Note: If you have never taken the SAT or ACT and do not have scores available, you will not be required to submit a score upon enrollment.
The test-optional policy is consistent with Bucknell's holistic admission policy, empowering students to shape their own narrative. We delve deeply into your application, essay, high school profile, transcript and letters of recommendation. You can now decide whether to add a test score to this narrative or if everything else you're already submitting represents you best.
Yes, for students who choose to submit test scores, Bucknell will accept self-reported scores. Applicants may self-report SAT/ACT scores on their Common or Coalition Application for admissions consideration. If an applicant is offered admission and enrolls, an official copy of the SAT/ACT scores will be required.
In the 2019-20 academic year, Bucknell began a five-year pilot program in which students are not required to submit an SAT or ACT score with their application. For the 2019-20 application cycle, home-schooled students, international citizens and recruited athletes were required to submit an SAT or ACT score. Starting in the 2020-21 application cycle through the remainder of the pilot program, all applicants may choose to be test optional. The pilot program has been extended an additional two years through the 2025-26 admissions cycle.
Applicants may indicate on their applications whether they would like Bucknell to review their standardized test results. For applicants using the Common Application, this question is located on the Bucknell-specific questions section of the application. For applicants using the Coalition Application (powered by Scoir), this question is located in the Application Questions section. If a student has already submitted a test score to Bucknell and no longer wants it to be considered, the answer to this question on the application will suppress scores already at Bucknell.
For the Class of 2026, the middle 50% range for standardized testing was: SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing: 650-730
SAT Math: 660-770
ACT: 29–33
No. Should a student choose to not have their test score considered in the application process, nothing else is required in place of the test score.
No. If you choose not to submit an SAT or ACT score, Bucknell will not consider other standardized tests from a national testing agency (such as College Board and ACT).
Yes. All students will be considered for all of Bucknell's merit scholarships, regardless of whether they submit a test score.
Test scores will be required for all enrolling students who have taken an SAT or ACT to be used in the assessment of the test-optional program. Note: If you have never taken the SAT or ACT and do not have scores available, you will not be required to submit a score upon enrollment.
Yes. Bucknell superscores both the SAT and ACT, meaning we take your best section-level scores if you take a test more than once. For the SAT, this means we take your best Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score and your best Math score — even if they were from different tests — and combine them to create the superscore we consider when looking at your application. For the ACT, this means we take the average of your best scores from each subject from multiple test attempts. If you take the test multiple times, this could result in the score we consider being the same or higher (never lower). As a reminder, Bucknell is test-optional, meaning you'll decide whether to include test scores when applying.
Some prospective students may have additional admission requirements.