Pathway Prep
It's the question I hear most from families this fall: does my student need to take science? It's true that the ACT required a science section for decades. However, science became optional in fall 2025, and a year in, the answer for most students is pretty clear.
In short, you most likely will not need a science score. Most colleges are not requiring it, even if your student is planning to choose a STEM major. Similar to writing, it also doesn't affect your 1–36 composite score and is scored separately.
Two situations you should pay attention to
1. Your student's top schools require or recommend science
Look at your student's top schools and make sure they don't require or recommend the science section. This list is a good starting point, but double check requirements on each school's website. Notable schools that recommend science include Duke and Georgetown.
Also watch for requirements tied to a single program rather than the whole school. A college can be science-optional for general admission and still require it for one specific track. Three local examples: UMKC's BA/MD program requires the science section, as does K-State's early-admit vet program, and Mizzou's Physical Therapy SHarP Scholars program requires a STEM score of 30, which you can only earn by taking science.
2. Your student's top schools use the science score if it helps
Look at your student's top schools and see if they are looking at the science score if it helps the student. Vanderbilt has one of the clearest policies on science that I use as a reference point. If a student sends a score that includes science, Vanderbilt only folds it into their superscore when it raises the number.
Even for schools in this category, I'd be unlikely to recommend a student take science unless we have a clear weakness in another section that is proving stubborn to improve. In that case, a strong science score can do some of the lifting that section hasn't been able to.
"Shouldn't we take it just in case?"
It's true that some in the test prep world now recommend most students take science anyway. Their reasoning is fair: a science score can't lower your ACT composite, and you can't add science to a test date after the fact.
However, "just in case" isn't free. Science adds 40 minutes to an already long morning. Every hour spent prepping for science is an hour not spent on English, math, and reading, the three sections that count everywhere the ACT is used. And the schools where science actually matters are the ones in the two situations above, which you can check now, before you register.
If a school on your list hasn't published anything about science, a two-line email to their admissions office will settle it.
Where Kansas City–area colleges stand
Here's the science policy at schools Kansas City families commonly apply to, as of September 2026. These policies are still shifting, so treat this as a starting point and confirm on each school's site before you register.
| School | What they say about science | Category |
|---|---|---|
| University of Kansas | Nothing published about the science section. General admission is test-optional. | No published policy |
| Kansas State University | Not required for admission or scholarships. K-State calculates your superscore with and without science and uses the higher one. Exception: the veterinary medicine Early Admission program requires science from ACT submitters. | Can only help (except vet) |
| University of Missouri | Nothing published about the science section. Mizzou uses the superscore ACT provides, which leaves science out. Exception: the Physical Therapy SHarP Scholars program requires a 30 STEM score. | Left out of score (except PT) |
| UMKC | Nothing published for general admission. The BA/MD program requires the science section. | Required for one program |
| Missouri S&T | Recommended, not required. | Recommended |
| Missouri State University | Not required. Used only if it raises your composite or superscore. | Can only help |
| Truman State University | Nothing published about the science section. | No published policy |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Optional. WashU uses your best superscore, with or without science. | Can only help |
| University of Arkansas | Not required for admission, scholarships, or placement. If you send a score that includes science, U of A averages it into the superscore it calculates. | Averaged in if you send it |
| University of Oklahoma | Not required. OU superscores using ACT’s enhanced method (English, math, and reading). | Left out of score |
| Oklahoma State University | Optional and doesn’t affect the composite. OSU uses the superscore ACT provides. | Left out of score |
| University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Nothing published for general admission. The President’s Scholarship (Nebraska residents only) requires science and a 36 STEM score. | Required for one scholarship |
| University of Iowa | Not required. Iowa uses ACT’s three-section composite and won’t recalculate it with science. | Left out of score |
How to read the categories. "Recommended" and "Required for one program" are situation 1. "Can only help" and "Averaged in if you send it" are situation 2. At Arkansas specifically, a low science score could pull that average down, so only send a score with science if it helps. For the rest, science isn't part of the decision unless your student's plans change.
The bottom line
For most Kansas City students, the right call at registration is still "ACT, no science." (If you're in the middle of registering, here's my step-by-step registration guide.) Take science if a top school requires or recommends it, or if a specific program your student is applying to does. For schools that use science when it helps, I'd only add it if another section is proving stubborn to improve.
Not sure where your student's list lands? Reach out and I'm happy to help you work through it.