Wesleyan, Temple Among Colleges Scrapping Admission Tests

By Janet Lorin Oct 3, 2014 12:01 AM ET

A new wave of colleges including Wesleyan University, Bryn Mawr College and Temple University are scrapping standardized tests as an admissions requirement, saying there are better ways to evaluate applicants and expand diversity.

In the past two years, at least 20 U.S. schools including Brandeis University have signed on, telling applicants they no longer need to submit SAT or ACT scores. Students applying to college will find about one in five nonprofit schools that have dropped the proviso since Bowdoin College did so in 1969.

College admissions and testing are in flux. With changing demographics, schools will be competing for fewer high school graduates and want to stand out to prospective students. The SAT, which has lost market share to ACT, is being redesigned for 2016, making a now-mandatory essay optional. Schools say going “test optional” will also benefit low-income and minority students who can’t afford test prep courses or to retake exams.

“This is a moment in time where we felt there’s growing questions in K-12 and beyond about the value of standardized testing,” said Nancy Hargrave Meislahn, dean of admission and financial aid at Wesleyan in Middletown, Connecticut, which cut the requirement in May. “We also see this as an access initiative. We’ve known for a long time the correlation between test scores and income.”

A study released in February that found no significant difference in the grade-point average or graduation rates between applicants who did and didn’t submit test scores was another reason behind the school’s decision, Meislahn said.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-03/wesleyan-temple-among-colleges-scrapping-admission-tests.html