Tag: test-optional

COVID-19

Harvard Drops SAT/ACT Requirement for Fall 2021 Applicants

Citing the upending of schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvard University on Monday said it will drop the requirement of standardized exams, such as the SAT or ACT, for fall 2021 applicants, making the submission of these test scores optional. “We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has created insurmountable challenges in scheduling tests for […]

June 16, 2020

News Roundup

U of California System President Recommends Suspending SAT/ACT Until 2024

The University of California (UC)  system president Janet Napolitano has recommended the suspension of standardized exams, such as the SAT/ACT, as a requirement for admissions until 2024. In an ‘action item’ memo to members of the university’s board, Napolitano further recommends the institution creates a new test “that better aligns with the content UC expects […]

May 12, 2020

COVID-19

Students Call For Test Optional Admissions in 2021 as the Coronavirus Delays ACT And SAT

This April, opportunities to take the SAT and ACT were canceled with tentative postponements until June. While some students take these tests only once, it’s common to take them multiple times to try for the best possible score. Over one million juniors were scheduled to take the SAT or ACT for the first time this spring, according to the College Board.

April 13, 2020

News Roundup

Dozens of Colleges Have Nixed SAT/ACT for Fall 2021 Admissions Since the Coronavirus Spread

Since the shutdown of educational institutions due to the coronavirus pandemic, dozens of colleges have announced test-optional policies for fall 2021 admissions, reported The Washington Post. The Post said “a record number of” higher education institutions have nixed the requirement that students take the ACT or the SAT — standardized tests for college admission — […]

April 13, 2020

COVID-19

Amid Pandemic, Santa Clara U Offers Test-Optional Undergraduate Admissions for Two Years

Santa Clara University is offering two-year test-optional admissions for first-year and transfer students seeking enrollment beginning in the winter 2021 and fall 2021 terms, the institution said in a statement, adding that it’s relaxing requirements keeping in mind the difficulties students are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic. That means scores on standardized tests such […]

April 6, 2020

News Roundup

Bellarmine University Goes Test Optional

Bellarmine University, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Louisville, Kentucky, will no longer require applicants to submit SAT and ACT scores, WDRB.com reported. The new test optional policy will kick in for students starting in fall 2021. The university will still consider students’ high school grades, extracurricular activities, counselor recommendations, work and leadership experience. […]

February 11, 2020

News Roundup

Brown University Removes GRE Requirement for 24 Doctoral Programs

Next year, Brown University applicants won’t need to provide Graduate Records Examination (GRE) scores for 24 of the school’s doctoral programs. The aim is to increase the number of underrepresented graduate students, who sometimes struggle to afford GRE prep courses, tutoring and exam fees. “The future success of graduate education at Brown depends on the […]

October 4, 2019

Students

Admissions Movement Leaving ACT/SAT Behind

Hundreds of four-year, liberal arts schools have decreased reliance upon ACT/SAT test scores in admissions. These institutions are self-identifying in three categories: test-optional, test-flexible and test-blind.

October 11, 2016