U.S. News & World Report and ScoreSmart Announce Partnership to Help Students Navigate College Admissions with Greater Confidence

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings and consumer advice, today announced a new partnership with ScoreSmart, a leading digital platform for high-quality SAT and ACT practice tests.

While the two companies serve the same audience of college-bound students and their families, they provide distinct pieces of the admissions puzzle. Together, the partnership connects practice test performance with the admissions data needed to understand what those scores actually mean — giving students a clearer, more complete picture earlier in their college search.

"Students and their families come to U.S. News to understand specific details about the schools they are considering," said Eric Gertler, executive chairman & CEO, U.S. News & World Report. "Combining what we do with ScoreSmart's trusted practice testing gives students and families a more robust ability to make informed decisions about the college process and identify which institutions would be the right fit for them."

"This partnership reflects how U.S. News continues to expand the ways we deliver value to students and families," said Neil Maheshwari, CFO & COO, U.S. News & World Report. "By integrating with a platform as trusted as ScoreSmart, we're meeting students at an earlier, more critical point in their journey — while they're still building the scores and profile that will shape their college options."

"Practice tests give you a score, but that score is meaningless without context," said Neil Seltzer, co-founder of ScoreSmart. "U.S. News is that context. This partnership puts that comparison right at students' fingertips, so a practice score isn't just an abstract number — it becomes a goal, a means to an end that helps justify the effort it takes to improve."

"Students often know their practice test score, but not what that score means for the schools they're actually targeting," said Sonya Muthalia, co-founder of ScoreSmart. "By connecting our practice testing data with U.S. News' admissions insights, we're helping students set realistic, motivating goals from day one — instead of guessing."

ScoreSmart is recognized as one of the most trusted practice testing platforms in the test-prep industry, while U.S. News has long been a highly respected, go-to resource for unbiased college research and rankings. The partnership reflects a shared goal between the two companies: making the college admissions process more transparent and data-driven for students and families.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, insurance, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services. 

About ScoreSmart
ScoreSmart is a digital platform offering high-quality, realistic practice tests for the SAT, ACT, ISEE, and SHSAT. Built to help students understand exactly where they stand and how to improve, ScoreSmart is used by over two hundred of the top test prep tutors and tutoring companies in the world.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.