In a major boost for students in Egypt seeking international education, the US Embassy in Cairo has announced the reinstatement of SAT testing in the country beginning June 2025. The move follows successful negotiations between Egypt’s Ministry of Education and the College Board, the organization that administers the SAT, ending a multi-year suspension that had restricted access to a key credential for studying abroad.
The return of the SAT is expected to reinvigorate a critical pathway to higher education—especially for students aiming for admission to US universities and competitive international scholarship programs.
The reintroduced exam will follow the digital SAT format, which has already been rolled out in more than 180 countries. The new version is shorter—two hours and fourteen minutes compared to the traditional three-hour paper test—yet maintains the exam’s rigorous standards. It also features adaptive testing technology, which adjusts the difficulty of questions in real time based on a student’s responses. In addition, results will now be delivered within days, significantly reducing the wait time and helping students meet tight application deadlines more efficiently.
For many Egyptian students, the SAT’s return eliminates a major barrier. During the suspension, students were forced to travel abroad to take the test or forgo applying to universities that required it—an option often out of reach for middle-income families. The SAT remains one of the most widely accepted standardized tests worldwide, recognized by all US colleges and universities and institutions in over 85 countries.
The resumption marks not only a logistical improvement but also a renewed opportunity for students across Egypt to pursue higher education on a global stage.
