
In this photo taken Jan. 17, 2016, a sign is seen at the entrance to a hall for a college test preparation class at Holton Arms School.
The SAT exam will move from paper and pencil to a digital format, administrators announced Tuesday, saying the shift will boost its relevancy as more colleges make standardized tests optional for admission.
Test-takers will be allowed to use their own laptops or tablets but they'll still have to sit for the test at a monitored testing site or in school, not at home.
The format change is scheduled to roll out internationally next year and in the U.S. in 2024. It will also shave an hour from the current version, bringing the reading, writing and math assessment from three hours to about two.
"The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant," said Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at the New York City-based College Board, which administers the SAT and related PSAT. "We're not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform. We're taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible."
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Once essential for college applications, scores from admission tests like the SAT and rival ACT carry less weight today as colleges and universities pay more attention to the sum of student achievements and activities throughout high school.
Amid criticism that the exams favor wealthy, white applicants and disadvantage minority and low-income students, an increasing number of schools have in recent years adopted test-optional policies, which let students decide whether to include scores with their applications.
The pandemic accelerated the trend as testing sessions were canceled or inaccessible.
Nearly 80% of bachelor's degree-granting institutions are not requiring test scores from students applying for fall 2022, according to a December tally by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a watchdog group that opposes standardized testing. The group, known as FairTest, said at least 1,400 of them have extended the policy through at least the fall 2023 admissions cycle.

FILE - In this photo taken Jan. 17, 2016, a student looks at questions during a college test preparation class at Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Md. The SAT exam will move from paper and pencil to a digital format, administrators announced Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, saying the shift will boost its relevancy as more colleges make standardized tests optional for admission.
About 1.5 million members of the class of 2021 took the SAT at least once, down from 2.2 million in the previous year. A College Board survey found many students want to take the SAT to preserve the option of submitting the scores and qualifying for certain scholarships.
Rodriguez said the digital version will be delivered in a format more familiar to students who regularly learn and test online at school.
Also, student score reports will not only focus on connecting students with four-year colleges and scholarships, but also provide information about two-year college and workforce training options. That reflects an increase in the number of students who are given the exam during a designated SAT day at school, with some districts requiring students take it. About 60% of students who take the SAT do so at school, Rodriguez said.
"We want to present students with a wider range of information and resources about their post-secondary options," she said.
Scores will be available in days, rather than weeks, she said. There have been cases through the years of sets of paper exams getting lost in the mail.
"The digital version, I thought, was a lot less stressful than the paper and pencil version. It felt a lot more familiar," said Natalia Cossio, 16, of Fairfax County, Virginia, who took part in a November pilot after first taking the PSAT on paper.
She said the digital format would solve some logistical issues she's seen, like students bringing mechanical pencils instead of the required No. 2 variety, or advanced calculators that are not allowed. The digital version includes a basic calculator for the math section.
The College Board said students without a personal or school-issued device will be provided one for test day.
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Stacker dug into Niche’s 2022 Best Colleges in America rankings, which employs data from the Department of Education, including everything from academics and admissions to financial aid and student life, and gives each of these factors a letter grade.
Best college in every state
Best college in every state

Deciding where to go to college is one of the biggest decisions a teenager has to make in their lives, ultimately having an impact on everything from future earnings and potential student loan debt to which opportunities they’ll be afforded to network with alumni.
While every student wants to get the best education they possibly can, there are also other considerations to take into account: location, size, diversity, their field of study, whether they want to study abroad... the list goes on. While most best-college lists tend to be topped with the same handful of expensive Ivy League schools, the U.S. is home to more than 4,000 degree-granting schools with amazing education offerings for every college-bound high school senior.
Stacker dug into Niche’s 2022 Best Colleges in America rankings to determine the best college in every state. Niche's rankings employ data from the Department of Education, including everything from academics and admissions to financial aid and student life, to give each of these factors a letter grade. Combining this data with millions of reviews from students and alumni, Niche then assigns each school a rank. Stacker used these rankings to find the best college in every state, sorted alphabetically.
Keep reading to discover which college is the highest-ranked in your state.
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Alabama: Auburn University

- Number of undergraduates: 22,527
- Acceptance rate: 81% (Academics grade: A-)
- Net price: $23,562 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,800 (Value grade: A)
Alaska: University of Alaska Southeast

- Number of undergraduates: 588
- Acceptance rate: 61% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $11,000 (Campus grade: B+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $36,000 (Value grade: B-)
Arizona: Arizona State University

- Number of undergraduates: 41,182
- Acceptance rate: 86% (Academics grade: A-)
- Net price: $14,081 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $47,700 (Value grade: A-)
Arkansas: Hendrix College

- Number of undergraduates: 1,101
- Acceptance rate: 70% (Academics grade: A)
- Net price: $20,859 (Campus grade: B+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $39,700 (Value grade: A-)
California: Stanford University

- Number of undergraduates: 6,996
- Acceptance rate: 4% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $16,779 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $94,000 (Value grade: A+)
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Colorado: Colorado School of Mines

- Number of undergraduates: 4,930
- Acceptance rate: 53% (Academics grade: A)
- Net price: $26,856 (Campus grade: C+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $84,900 (Value grade: A+)
Connecticut: Yale University

- Number of undergraduates: 6,088
- Acceptance rate: 6% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $18,073 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $83,200 (Value grade: A+)
Delaware: University of Delaware

- Number of undergraduates: 18,378
- Acceptance rate: 71% (Academics grade: A-)
- Net price: $17,539 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $57,000 (Value grade: A)
Florida: University of Florida

- Number of undergraduates: 32,157
- Acceptance rate: 37% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $10,457 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $56,000 (Value grade: A+)
Georgia: Georgia Institute of Technology

- Number of undergraduates: 14,310
- Acceptance rate: 21% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $16,883 (Campus grade: B+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $79,100 (Value grade: A+)
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Hawaii: University of Hawaii at Manoa

- Number of undergraduates: 10,560
- Acceptance rate: 58% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $15,441 (Campus grade: C)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $45,800 (Value grade: B)
Idaho: University of Idaho

- Number of undergraduates: 6,749
- Acceptance rate: 78% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $15,017 (Campus grade: B+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $41,900 (Value grade: A-)
Illinois: Northwestern University

- Number of undergraduates: 8,284
- Acceptance rate: 9% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $26,196 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $69,000 (Value grade: A+)
Indiana: University of Notre Dame

- Number of undergraduates: 8,708
- Acceptance rate: 16% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $30,536 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $78,400 (Value grade: A+)
Iowa: Grinnell College

- Number of undergraduates: 1,700
- Acceptance rate: 23% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $29,404 (Campus grade: B-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $49,100 (Value grade: A)
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Kansas: Kansas State University

- Number of undergraduates: 15,548
- Acceptance rate: 95% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $18,103 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $45,600 (Value grade: A-)
Kentucky: University of Kentucky

- Number of undergraduates: 20,622
- Acceptance rate: 96% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $18,958 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $45,100 (Value grade: B+)
Louisiana: Tulane University

- Number of undergraduates: 7,260
- Acceptance rate: 13% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $40,783 (Campus grade: B)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $61,700 (Value grade: A-)
Maine: Bowdoin College

- Number of undergraduates: 1,834
- Acceptance rate: 9% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $23,808 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $65,500 (Value grade: A+)
Maryland: Johns Hopkins University

- Number of undergraduates: 5,762
- Acceptance rate: 11% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $28,999 (Campus grade: B)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $73,200 (Value grade: A+)
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Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

- Number of undergraduates: 4,501
- Acceptance rate: 7% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $20,465 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $104,700 (Value grade: A+)
Michigan: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- Number of undergraduates: 30,204
- Acceptance rate: 23% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $17,357 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $63,400 (Value grade: A+)
Minnesota: Carleton College

- Number of undergraduates: 2,093
- Acceptance rate: 19% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $31,547 (Campus grade: B-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $54,200 (Value grade: A+)
Mississippi: Mississippi State University

- Number of undergraduates: 17,113
- Acceptance rate: 54% (Academics grade: A)
- Net price: $16,471 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $40,200 (Value grade: B+)
Missouri: Washington University in St. Louis

- Number of undergraduates: 7,139
- Acceptance rate: 14% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $27,108 (Campus grade: A+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $70,100 (Value grade: A+)
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Montana: Montana State University

- Number of undergraduates: 12,359
- Acceptance rate: 82% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $16,746 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $43,200 (Value grade: B+)
Nebraska: Creighton University

- Number of undergraduates: 4,325
- Acceptance rate: 74% (Academics grade: A-)
- Net price: $32,145 (Campus grade: C+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $59,700 (Value grade: A)
Nevada: University of Nevada - Reno

- Number of undergraduates: 14,788
- Acceptance rate: 88% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $16,253 (Campus grade: B+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $47,000 (Value grade: B+)
New Hampshire: Dartmouth College

- Number of undergraduates: 4,401
- Acceptance rate: 8% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $23,869 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $75,500 (Value grade: A+)
New Jersey: Princeton University

- Number of undergraduates: 5,328
- Acceptance rate: 6% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $18,712 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $74,700 (Value grade: A+)
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New Mexico: New Mexico Tech

- Number of undergraduates: 1,178
- Acceptance rate: 80% (Academics grade: A-)
- Net price: $14,908 (Campus grade: C)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $50,000 (Value grade: A-)
New York: Columbia University

- Number of undergraduates: 7,701
- Acceptance rate: 5% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $21,828 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $83,300 (Value grade: A+)
North Carolina: Duke University

- Number of undergraduates: 6,597
- Acceptance rate: 8% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $24,386 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $84,400 (Value grade: A+)
North Dakota: University of North Dakota

- Number of undergraduates: 7,628
- Acceptance rate: 81% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $15,654 (Campus grade: B-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,700 (Value grade: A-)
Ohio: Case Western Reserve University

- Number of undergraduates: 5,237
- Acceptance rate: 27% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $35,890 (Campus grade: C)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $74,600 (Value grade: A+)
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Oklahoma: University of Tulsa

- Number of undergraduates: 3,171
- Acceptance rate: 36% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $23,940 (Campus grade: B)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,500 (Value grade: A)
Oregon: Reed College

- Number of undergraduates: 1,420
- Acceptance rate: 39% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $32,069 (Campus grade: B)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $42,200 (Value grade: A-)
Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania

- Number of undergraduates: 10,448
- Acceptance rate: 8% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $24,771 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $85,900 (Value grade: A+)
Rhode Island: Brown University

- Number of undergraduates: 6,826
- Acceptance rate: 7% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $27,218 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $67,500 (Value grade: A+)
South Carolina: Clemson University

- Number of undergraduates: 19,486
- Acceptance rate: 51% (Academics grade: A)
- Net price: $21,482 (Campus grade: A-)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $52,400 (Value grade: A)
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South Dakota: Augustana University

- Number of undergraduates: 1,727
- Acceptance rate: 67% (Academics grade: A-)
- Net price: $24,481 (Campus grade: B)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $43,700 (Value grade: A)
Tennessee: Vanderbilt University

- Number of undergraduates: 6,833
- Acceptance rate: 9% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $25,855 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $69,000 (Value grade: A+)
Texas: Rice University

- Number of undergraduates: 3,942
- Acceptance rate: 9% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $20,335 (Campus grade: A+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $65,400 (Value grade: A+)
Vermont: Middlebury College

- Number of undergraduates: 2,556
- Acceptance rate: 15% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $23,367 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $58,200 (Value grade: A+)
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Virginia: Washington and Lee University

- Number of undergraduates: 1,845
- Acceptance rate: 19% (Academics grade: A+)
- Net price: $23,301 (Campus grade: B+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $76,100 (Value grade: A+)
Washington: University of Washington

- Number of undergraduates: 29,332
- Acceptance rate: 52% (Academics grade: A)
- Net price: $10,692 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $57,700 (Value grade: A)
West Virginia: West Virginia University

- Number of undergraduates: 19,369
- Acceptance rate: 84% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $12,743 (Campus grade: B+)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $45,800 (Value grade: B+)
Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin

- Number of undergraduates: 30,157
- Acceptance rate: 54% (Academics grade: A)
- Net price: $16,103 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $56,200 (Value grade: A+)
Wyoming: University of Wyoming

- Number of undergraduates: 8,332
- Acceptance rate: 96% (Academics grade: B+)
- Net price: $12,880 (Campus grade: B)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $47,300 (Value grade: A-)
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Utah: Brigham Young University

- Number of undergraduates: 28,288
- Acceptance rate: 67% (Academics grade: A)
- Net price: $13,340 (Campus grade: A)
- Median earnings six years after graduation: $59,700 (Value grade: A)