US: Full list of colleges and universities that have gone ‘test-optional’

More universities in the United States are becoming “test-optional”, which means they have stepped away from standardised exams like the SAT and ACT, which are traditionally required for admissions applications.

The trend is growing because many more institutions are finding high scores in these tests may not accurately measure the eligibility of a student and therefore do not reflect what students would need in order to succeed in higher education.

In place of these exams, the institutions will instead select and admit students based on other criteria, although students are welcome to submit their scores if they wish to bolster their other qualifications.

Advocates of doing away with these standardised tests say non-native English speakers and first-generation college-bound students will benefit from not having to be assessed in their adoptive tongue, which puts them at a disadvantage compared to native speakers. Less emphasis on such tests is touted to reduce the level of unhealthy anxiety students go through during the college application process as well.

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Critics, however, are less quick to buy the idea that these schools are doing so to diversify their applicant pool. They say schools are just “gaming” the rankings system to bring in more applicants who they can reject later to appear more “selective” in rankings. Schools’ SAT average is said to be “artificially inflated” as well, as applicants who choose to submit their scores tend to have higher scores than those who do not.

Whichever side of the fence one is on, many remain unclear on what “test-optional” means, and which schools have gone down this route, despite big players such as Columbia University announcing they have joined the list of other top schools that have dropped the requirements.

But thanks to the folks at The Washington Post and the non-profit National Center for Fair and Open Testing, here is the complete list of more than 900 US colleges and universities that have gone “test-optional”:

Key

1. SAT/ACT used only for placement and/or academic advising
2. SAT/ACT required only from out-of-state applicants
3. SAT/ACT may be required but considered only when minimum GPA and/or class rank is not met
4. SAT/ACT required for some programmes
5. Test Flexible: SAT/ACT not required if other college level exams specified by school, such as SAT Subject Test, Advanced Placement, or Int’l Baccalaureate, submitted — contact school for details
6. Placement test or school-specific admissions exam score required if not submitting SAT/ACT
7. Admission/Eligibility Index calculated with 3.5 GPA and combined SAT Critical Reading plus Math score of 400

Sources: College Board 2017 College Handbook; U.S. News & World Report College Guide 2017; U.S. Department of Education Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), admissions office websites; and news

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