Mercer’s Test Optional admission policy allows first-year students with an unweighted GPA greater than 3.5, and transfer students who have completed fewer than 30 credit hours, to apply to Mercer and be considered for admission without submitting SAT and/or ACT scores. Students may apply to Mercer without test scores and submit the standard application requirements. To help you understand our Test Optional policy, we have included some information below.
Beginning August 1, 2022, students can apply to Mercer University with self-reported standardized test scores. Official scores must be submitted prior to enrollment.
Simply put, this means that all applicants have the option of including ACT or SAT test scores in their application for admission.
If you apply as a Test Optional candidate for admission, we will not review any ACT or SAT scores that you submitted prior to submitting your application. These test scores for Test Optional applicants are hidden so that admissions counselors will not consider them as part of your application.
If you apply as Test Optional and later decide you would like to have ACT or SAT scores considered, you can request to have your testing status changed. Just contact your admissions counselor, and they can make that update.
Applicants with a 3.5 unweighted high school GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale are eligible to apply without ACT or SAT test scores. If your school does not provide you with an unweighted GPA, we will evaluate your transcript to determine your unweighted GPA. If our evaluation determines your GPA is below a 3.5, you will be required to submit ACT or SAT scores to complete your application.
Mercer University’s administration has committed to remain Test Optional through the Fall 2024 term. In early 2024, the University will determine its testing policy for Spring 2025 and beyond.
Mercer places more weight on the other portions of your application to determine your admission. Specifically, we assess your academic ability to succeed and your leadership and service involvement. This is determined holistically based on your attempted course rigor, academic performance, extracurricular involvement, essay, and short answer responses.
Yes, students who choose to apply without ACT or SAT test scores will be required to answer two short answer responses and submit one letter of recommendation.
Students who apply without test scores can be considered for all university merit scholarship opportunities.
No majors at Mercer require ACT or SAT test scores for admission. However, students applying with majors in disciplines related to natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics are encouraged to submit their scores. We encourage students to submit scores when applying to these programs to better help us determine their mathematical skills, which is crucial in these programs.
The Admissions Committee seeks to admit students that we believe can be academically successful at Mercer. Test scores are just one of many factors that can contribute to a student’s potential for success.
It is always the applicant’s discretion to determine whether or not they want to submit their ACT or SAT scores for admission and scholarship consideration. In general, we recommend all applicants that score above our middle-fifty percentile to submit their scores with their application. Below is the middle-fifty percentile for the Fall 2023 admitted student cohort.
ACT: 25–30
SAT: 1190–1350
Most applicants that score within our middle-fifty percentile will also benefit from including their scores in their application. Keep in mind that 25% of the admitted student cohort scored below the ranges above, so scores close to that range could potentially benefit your application.
International students are eligible to apply to Mercer University as Test Optional applicants. International Test Optional candidates must complete an interview with their admissions counselor as part of the application process. Please note that as Test Optional applicants, international students are required to submit language scores, as indicated below. To see exceptions for this requirement, visit our International Admissions webpage. After submitting your application, contact Beth Gonzalez at 478.538.0013 or gonzalez_em@mercer.edu to schedule an interview.