Texas Higher Education Board Approves CLT
On July 23, 2026, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board informed public university leaders that the Classic Learning Test, or CLT, may now be used as a factor in college admissions alongside the SAT and ACT. Commissioner Wynn Rosser sent the letter after a study by the Texas A&M Public Policy Research Institute determined that the CLT, SAT, and ACT are of sufficient rigor and reliability to serve as criteria for college admissions in the state.
The move adds Texas to a list of state university systems that accept the CLT, including Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, the United States Service Academies, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of New Mexico. Texas is the second-largest state by population and operates some of the largest public university systems in the country, including the University of Texas system and Texas A&M University. That means the decision could affect tens of thousands of applicants each year.
Jeremy Tate, founder of the Classic Learning Test, announced the approval on X, calling it a significant expansion of test options for Texas students. The CLT was introduced about a decade ago and has grown steadily from a niche alternative at Christian colleges to a test accepted by major public university systems across multiple states.
What the CLT Covers and Who It Serves
The CLT is a computer-based standardized test that takes approximately two hours to complete, compared to about three hours for the SAT and ACT. It assesses reading, grammar, writing, and mathematics, with a distinctive emphasis on passages from classical Western literature and philosophy. Scores are reported on a 120-point scale within ten days. The test also includes an optional essay segment.
Approximately 325 colleges and universities in the United States and abroad accept the CLT for admissions or course placement. The test has grown steadily since its introduction, particularly at Christian institutions and in states that have sought alternatives to the SAT and ACT. The CLT website describes its reading passages as drawn from an author bank that includes figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Shakespeare, and Douglass, alongside scientific and historical texts.
For Texas high school students, the immediate practical effect is expanded choice. Students preparing for college applications can now submit CLT scores to any Texas public university that chooses to accept them. Commissioner Rosser told campus leaders that admissions offices may start considering standardized test scores, including the CLT, immediately, without waiting for the formal policy amendment process.
National Trend: Universities Return to Testing Requirements
The Texas decision came on the same day Vanderbilt University announced it would reinstate its standardized testing requirement for fall 2029 applicants. Vanderbilt said its internal review found that standardized testing, when considered alongside academic records and other application components, provides valuable information for identifying students likely to thrive on campus. The university had been test-optional since the pandemic.
Vanderbilt and Texas are part of a growing national shift back toward standardized testing in college admissions. Most universities adopted test-optional policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past year, however, a number of institutions have reversed those policies. Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, and the University of Texas at Austin are among the universities that announced testing requirements for incoming classes beginning in 2025 and 2026. Harvard and the California State University system also reinstated requirements in 2025. The trend reflects a reassessment of whether test-optional policies served the goals of equity and academic prediction.
Rosser said the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board plans to amend its admissions policy to reflect the findings of the Texas A&M study. If the board approves the amendment, Texas public universities would begin requiring standardized testing again for fall 2028 admissions. That timeline gives current ninth-grade and tenth-grade students two to three years to prepare their test-taking strategy.
The Texas A&M study that shaped the board’s decision evaluated the CLT alongside the SAT and ACT and found all three tests of comparable quality for predicting first-year college performance. Researchers at institutions that have adopted the CLT have published data showing that CLT scores correlate with first-year GPA at levels similar to the SAT and ACT. The study gave the board the evidentiary basis to add the CLT to the list of approved tests while also recommending a return to standardized testing more broadly.
What Students and Families Should Do Next
For Texas high school students, the immediate takeaway is that the admissions landscape is shifting. If the board finalizes its rule change, every applicant to a Texas public university for fall 2028 will need to submit standardized test scores. Students currently in ninth grade or earlier should plan to choose among the SAT, ACT, and CLT and take their selected test during their junior year.
Students can register for the CLT at the test’s official website. The test is administered both online and at school testing sites. Scores are sent directly to colleges through the CLT score-reporting system. Families should check with each university’s admissions office about which tests are accepted, because the transition period means some Texas schools may accept the CLT sooner than others. The board’s letter explicitly allows campuses to begin accepting CLT scores immediately, so some universities may update their policies before the fall 2027 application cycle opens.
The broader national picture reinforces a basic reality: standardized testing is not disappearing from college admissions. The question is which test a student chooses. Texas students now have three widely accepted options, and the choice may come down to which format matches a student’s strengths. Students who read widely in the humanities may find the CLT’s classical reading passages more natural, while students who have prepared extensively for the SAT may prefer to stick with what they know. The cost of the CLT is comparable to the SAT and ACT, and fee waivers are available for qualifying students.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s decision does not yet carry the force of a final rule. The board must still vote on the proposed policy amendment. But Commissioner Rosser’s letter signals the direction of the state’s thinking, and the study underlying it provides the evidentiary basis. Students and families who track these developments early will have the most time to adapt their plans, explore sample questions for each test, and make an informed choice before the application deadlines arrive.
Sources
- The College Fix (2026-07-24): The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the Classic Learning Test as an alternative to the SAT and ACT for college admissions, according to a July 23 letter from Commissioner Wynn Rosser.
- Vanderbilt University Admissions Blog (2026-07-23): Vanderbilt announced it will reinstate its standardized testing requirement for fall 2029 applicants, citing a review that found test scores are useful predictors of academic success.
- Wikipedia (2026-04-14): The CLT is a two-hour computer-based test accepted by over 300 colleges, assessing reading, grammar, writing, and mathematics with passages from classical literature.
