Cornell University, the first of the Ivy League institutions to go test-optional at the height of the pandemic, will remain test-optional through at least the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. This will impact applicants to the Cornell Class of 2028. So, being as Cornell went test-optional in the early days of the pandemic, for the Class of 2025, that means that two falls from now, all four classes at the university will have applied under a test-optional admissions policy. That’s something!
As Katherine Esterl reports for The Cornell Daily Sun in a piece entitled “University will Remain Test-Optional for 2023-24 Applicants,” “In a statement to The Sun, Vice Provost for Enrollment Jonathan Burdick, said the admissions office is working on conducting ‘whole-person reviews’ with far fewer or no SAT/ACT scores. ‘I’d say there’s significant awareness across Cornell of the challenging impacts testing policies can create in terms of assembling a diverse and well-qualified student body,’ Burdick wrote. ‘There’s much more for everyone to learn and consider.'”
And while Cornell may have been the first Ivy League institution to go test-optional, other Ivies have extended their test-optional admissions policies even further into the future. As an example, Harvard University will remain test-optional through at least the Class of 2030, a class that will apply during the 2025-2026 admissions cycle [or three cycles from now]. Yet no matter how far these schools extend their test-optional admissions policies, loyal readers of Ivy Coach’s college admissions blog know where we stand on the issue: all else being equal, students with great SAT or ACT scores will always enjoy an advantage over students who choose not to submit scores. No matter what that school says to the contrary.
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Yale. Harvard. Columbia. All eight Ivy League colleges have gone test optional for the high school class of 2023, choosing to suspend the requirement for SAT and ACT scores and joining hundreds of other universities, including Stanford, who have also agreed to let students decide whether they want to submit test scores with their application.
“Test Optional” means a student can choose NOT to submit a test score for any reason. Instead of the scores, test-optional schools say they will focus on other facets of a student’s application which will include a student’s grades and course rigor, and may include essays and/or recommendations. College admission readers often see these variables as stronger predictors of a student’s potential to succeed in college.
What are the benefits of taking the SAT or the ACT?
1. Even if they are test-optional, colleges will still consider SAT and ACT scores if students submit them. So if a student submits test scores, the admission office will factor them in. A significant number of applicants still send in their test scores
2. Merit scholarships and private scholarships may require test scores.
Many test-optional colleges still consider test scores when awarding merit scholarships. Private scholarships may also require test scores. By not submitting a test score, a student may hurt their chances of receiving such a scholarship. Do your research to know whether your score falls within a
certain college’s admitted student profile, and then decide whether your score will help or hinder your chances of admission and scholarship opportunities.
Should I take the SAT or ACT?
The answer is yes. If students take the test, they can decide whether they want to submit the scores or not.
Keep in mind, easier to apply does not mean easier to get in. Without a test score, your application needs to stand out even more, especially if you are applying to a highly competitive university or for a competitive major. Therefore, if your test score will boost your overall competitiveness, studying for the SAT or ACT may be worth it.
What else should I consider?
1. Colleges set their own admissions policies, but in almost all cases, they want as much information about a student as possible. Therefore, if a student does not submit the test scores, more weight will be given to rigor of coursework, grades, essays, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and achievements. A student’s application needs to set them apart and tell the college why they should be accepted over other applicants.
2. Policies differ among colleges. Some test-optional policies have certain restrictions.
• Know which colleges require test scores for out-of-state or international students. For international students, English language tests will rarely be optional.
• Know which colleges require test
scores for students pursuing certain majors.
• Understand that some test-optional schools may determine test-optional eligibility using an index calculated using other factors such as GPA and test scores.
• Determine if you need to submit test scores for placement in the freshman class.
• Submit any additional materials a school requires in place of test scores, such as samples of academic work, scientific research, or additional recommendation letters.
Test optional update
All the Ivies are now test-optional at least through fall 2023 [as are 1,500+ other colleges and universities]. For the often-updated list of test-optional and test-blind schools, visit //www.fairtest.org/
Note that test-optional does not mean “test-blind.” Test-blind means that a school will not look at your scores, even if you submit them. Relatively few schools are test-blind, but all nine campuses within the University of California system are.
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