More Colleges Than Ever Have Test-Optional Admissions Policies (theconversation.com)

Back in the 1980s, Bates College and Bowdoin College were nearly the only liberal arts colleges not to require applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores. On Jan. 10, FairTest, a Boston-based organization that has been pushing back against America's testing regime since 1985, announced that the number of colleges that are test-optional has now surpassed 1,000. From a report: This milestone means that more than one-third of America's four-year nonprofit colleges now reject the idea that a test score should strongly determine a student's future. The ranks of test-optional institutions include hundreds of prestigious private institutions, such as George Washington, New York University, Wesleyan University and Wake Forest University. The list also includes hundreds of public universities, such as George Mason, San Francisco State and Old Dominion.

Comments

Re: What does a college care ?

[HornWumpus]

Bates College and Bowdoin were _already_ off your list. They lose nothing by admitting (and graduating) even more unqualified students. Reputation is already shit.

The simple fact is almost all liberal arts schools have been ignoring the math and reasoning part of the SAT for many decades. Ignoring the essay and language part is just further expected degradation of standards.

Don't forget: These 'students' become occutards and complain that their four+ year party was expensive. Ignore them, throw McDonalds job apps at them.

Also note: IQ test (the SAT basically is one) are imperfect, but they are very strong/good tests. Best predictor of 'success in life'* know.

*defined as getting the things that you rate 'important'.