Should Schools Be Allowed To Study Test-Optional Schools
Among the 850 plus schools that have dropped the SAT, many report a significant change in their student body. The students on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum are more encouraged to apply to the schools they otherwise would have written off because of their SAT scores. The NACAC study also shows that non-SAT submitting students are more likely to be women, first-generation-to-college, minorities, and students from low-income families and that going test-optional had increased a school’s appeal to long distance applicants by up to 49%(Hiss, Franks 15). Since going test-optional, Wesleyan University saw a significant jump in socioeconomic and racial diversity on campus, as well as a record number of student applications in 2015.
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By going test-optional schools appear to be concerned with diversity, but may have no altruistic intentions whatsoever. Opponents believe schools are adopting test-optional policies to improve their reputations and their ever important college rankings. Generally, schools see an influx of applications ranging from a 10 to 30 percent increase, which allows schools to reject more students and raises their perceived selectivity in its admission process. Additionally, only students who score well on their SATs will opt to submit their scores. This increases the school’s average SAT scores and improves national ranking. Although most test-optional schools do see a rise in socioeconomic and racial diversity, there are a number of schools whose diversity ratios haven’t changed much. A study by University of Georgia in 2014 showed that test-optional policies enhanced selectivity rather than diversity. The study analyzed 180 test-optional liberal arts colleges over a two-decade period. In the study, test-optional schools did receive more applications in general, but this did not equate to greater diversity (Belasco, Rosinger, Hearn 10-13). Regardless of the schools’ motives, test-optional policies as a whole are helping some students attend and graduate from their chosen university, and should be a welcome advancement to admissions policies. Nevertheless, the SATs are here to stay, as colleges who are “test-blind” (currently just Hampshire College ignores all SAT scores) rather than test-optional, are punished by losing their national ranking and labeled as
By going test-optional schools appear to be concerned with diversity, but may have no altruistic intentions whatsoever. Opponents believe schools are adopting test-optional policies to improve their reputations and their ever important college rankings. Generally, schools see an influx of applications ranging from a 10 to 30 percent increase, which allows schools to reject more students and raises their perceived selectivity in its admission process. Additionally, only students who score well on their SATs will opt to submit their scores. This increases the school’s average SAT scores and improves national ranking. Although most test-optional schools do see a rise in socioeconomic and racial diversity, there are a number of schools whose diversity ratios haven’t changed much. A study by University of Georgia in 2014 showed that test-optional policies enhanced selectivity rather than diversity. The study analyzed 180 test-optional liberal arts colleges over a two-decade period. In the study, test-optional schools did receive more applications in general, but this did not equate to greater diversity (Belasco, Rosinger, Hearn 10-13). Regardless of the schools’ motives, test-optional policies as a whole are helping some students attend and graduate from their chosen university, and should be a welcome advancement to admissions policies. Nevertheless, the SATs are here to stay, as colleges who are “test-blind” (currently just Hampshire College ignores all SAT scores) rather than test-optional, are punished by losing their national ranking and labeled as