#1 Question for the High School Class of 2022: Will colleges continue to be SAT/ACT optional?
The answer is a qualified maybe, based on your accessibility. Accessibility has several meanings. During the height of the pandemic, when the standardized tests were not being offered in most parts of the country, students literally had no access to the tests. As such, colleges were forced to consider applicants without test scores. As the country begins to emerge from the restrictions from the pandemic, standardized tests are becoming available, but accessibility in terms of fairness and equality still remains at the center of the testing debate.
This year, colleges have taken an early stance on their test optional policies with most schools already announcing that they will continue to be test optional. Why? Because by and large, schools have seen that going test optional has resulted in dramatic increases in applications and a more diverse applicant pool. However, while we are still waiting for a full post-mortem on the breakdown of applicants admitted with test scores vs. without scores, early indication is that many applicants admitted to the most selective schools submitted test scores. For a deeper understanding please refer to this Inside Higher Ed article.
Do I need to take the SAT/ACT?
Our best advice is that you should try to take a standardized test if: 1. Tests are readily available in your area (no traveling out of town!); 2. You have the time and ability to prepare (this does not mean you need a high priced tutor – check out free online courses like Kahn Academy); and 3. Coming out of the pandemic, you have the emotional bandwidth to take the test. If these criteria are true, then we recommend you take the test.
Should I submit my SAT/ACT score?
Taking the test and submitting your score are two different issues. We are telling our students that they should only submit a test score to those schools where it works to their advantage and enhances their profile. For example, if a student’s score is above the median 50% test score range of a given college, they should submit. If their score is below, they may want to consider going test-optional, knowing that their peers likely will have scores. Remember, if you decide to not submit your test score, everything else will matter more in the admissions process. Rigor and grades will matter the most supported by a compelling story.
Schools that will be Test Optional for Fall 2022*
American University
Amherst
Bard College
Barnard College
Bates College
Belmont University
Bennington College
Berklee College of Music
Bowdoin College
Boston College
Brandeis University
Bridgewater State University
Boston University
Bucknell University
Butler University
California Institute of Technology (Test Blind, meaning no scores will be considered)
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Colby College
Colgate University
Colorado College
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University
College of Charleston
Connecticut College
Claremont Mckenna College
Colby College
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Cornell University
Davidson College
Dennison University
DePaul University
Duke University
Elon University
Emerson College
Emory
Fordham University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Gettysburg College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Harvard College
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Indiana University-Bloomington
Johns Hopkins University
Lawrence University
Lewis and Clark College
Loyola Marymount University
Macalester College
Middlebury College
Muhlenberg College
New York University
Northwestern University
The University of Notre Dame
Oberlin College
Ohio University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Reed College
Rhode Island School of Design
Rice
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Scripps College
Skidmore College
Smith College
Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Temple University
Trinity College
Tufts University
Tulane
Union College
University of Arizona
University of California System (Test Blind)
University of Chicago
University of Connecticut
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Michigan (Optional but Encouraged)
University of Oregon
University of North Carolina System
University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester
University of San Diego (currently running Test Blind pilot that may be extended)
University of Southern California
The University of the South
University of Texas
University of Utah
University of Virginia
University of Washington (Test Blind (except for waitlist considerations)
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Williams College
*For a complete list of all Test Optional Schools for 2022, please refer to FairTest, which is constantly updated with the latest information.
