One of the more vexing issues in the college application process is knowing whether to sign up with writing or without. It takes more prep time and costs more money to add the writing, so it is a significant question.
Unfortunately, the list of schools and their writing policies are ever-changing. The least I could do is provide links directly to the ACT and SAT sites. They have entry forms in which one can enter an institution’s name, then click in order to find out if the school requires the essay.
For the SAT, click here.
For the ACT, click here.
The two tests differ greatly in what they require in the essay, so make sure not to equate prepping for an ACT essay with prepping for an SAT essay.
Here’s more about the ACT essay and more about the SAT essay.