Penn announced that they will once again require standardized test scores (SAT or ACT) to be submitted with every application in this next cycle. They are following a growing list of other schools who are bringing back standardized tests this year, including Harvard, the University of Texas, Brown, and Caltech. Several other top schools had already made test scores required last year, including MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, and Yale. There are many schools which remain test-optional, so please read the requirements for each school very carefully!
Penn is also updating some of their school-specific essays and requiring two letters of recommendation: one from a counselor/administrator, and one from a core subject teacher. As before, evaluative interviews will not be used as part of their decision process.