Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina add CLT to public university admissions

By AI, Created 7:00 PM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina are the latest states to accept Classic Learning Test scores for admission to public universities, widening the test’s footprint beyond SAT and ACT-only policies. The changes take effect for fall 2026 and fall 2027 applicants and come as CLT gains ground with states, scholarship programs and more than 340 colleges.

Why it matters: - Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina expanding admissions options gives students another college entrance exam recognized by public universities. - The policy changes add pressure to the long-standing SAT and ACT duopoly in state admissions rules. - CLT’s broader acceptance could matter for students in states that want more test choice and for colleges seeking different signals of readiness.

What happened: - Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina became the newest states to accept Classic Learning Test scores for public university admission. - The new recognitions join Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma, which already allow CLT in public university admissions. - The University of North Carolina System adopted a policy in January to accept CLT for students seeking fall 2027 admission. - Indiana enacted SB 88 in March, requiring public universities to equally consider applications with a CLT score for fall 2026 admission. - The University System of Georgia Board of Regents unanimously approved CLT as an official admissions exam for 24 of its 26 public institutions in February. - Georgia’s policy applies to students seeking fall 2027 admission.

The details: - CLT said it launched in 2015 and is rooted in a liberal arts model that uses classic works from the Western canon. - The Verbal Reasoning section uses long passages from authors including Aristotle, Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Jane Austen and W. E. B. Du Bois. - The Quantitative Reasoning section measures arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and mathematical reasoning, and calculators are not allowed. - CLT said recent studies with partner colleges in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas found the exam to be 5% to 10% more predictive of first-year GPA than the SAT. - CLT said it has been accepted by more than 340 colleges, including the state university systems of Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, Georgia and Arkansas, the U.S. Service Academies, the University of Oklahoma and the University of New Mexico. - CLT said nearly 200,000 exams were administered in 2025, up from 20,000 in 2022. - CLT said more than 70% of test takers are public school students. - CLT said only one student has earned a perfect score since the test launched. - CLT offers 120 questions across three sections: Verbal Reasoning, Grammar/Writing and Quantitative Reasoning. - CLT provides analytics on strengths and weaknesses in 15 academic domains. - Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Wyoming policymakers have also added CLT as a qualified test for state-funded scholarships. - Texas lawmakers ended the SAT/ACT college admissions duopoly in state law through SB1241 of 2025, allowing CLT use.

Between the lines: - The latest state actions suggest CLT is moving from a niche alternative toward a broader policy-backed option in higher education admissions. - Supporters are positioning the test as both more academically grounded and more predictive, while critics of the legacy testing system are likely to see the changes as a challenge to entrenched admissions norms. - The staggered effective dates show that universities are not adopting CLT all at once, and some systems are still aligning their admissions formulas and data practices.

What’s next: - Policymakers in Ohio, Iowa and Texas are considering additional reforms that would allow CLT in public university admissions. - The Iowa Board of Regents has already passed a policy ending the SAT/ACT duopoly in state policy, signaling further potential expansion. - Georgia’s policy rollout depends in part on CLT sharing data with the University System of Georgia to inform its Freshman Index admissions formula. - Students applying to UNC system schools will first see the new admissions policy for fall 2027. - Students applying to Indiana public universities will be affected for fall 2026. - Georgia’s policy will apply for fall 2027 admissions, except for Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia for now.

The bottom line: - CLT is gaining state-level traction fast, turning a once-limited alternative into a real contender in public university admissions.