Peak test optional admissions may be behind us, but that doesn’t tell applicants anything about whether their target schools want SAT & ACT scores or not. Do the most recent numbers for top ranked schools add any clarity? But first the news…
COLLEGE NEWS
Alas, poor local, regional colleges: Large, selective colleges enroll the greatest share of international students, but early data shows they’re not the institutions suffering enrollment drops so far.
Is anyone still reading? The latest NAEP scores show the percentage of students at the Advanced achievement level in reading has fallen from 2019, even among students from middle class or higher backgrounds. So much for passing on generational wealth of knowledge.
Education for citizenship for free: Ohio State University announced that in-state students who meet certain criteria–including but not limited to perfect test scores–will attend tuition-free. There’s just one catch: you have to live in Ohio ;)
🧮 ACT Test takers: If you’re not already a calculator pro, Mastering the TI-84 CE Plus Calculator on the ACT will add points to your performance.
BIG IDEA
The tale of test optional admissions has become an ongoing saga (or maybe soap opera) that draws new viewers in every season. Over the last year or two, colleges have come around to the idea that college admission exams actually help improve college admissions decisions. However, the extent to which test optional admissions policies apply at individual schools remains a choose-your-own-adventure exercise. What broad trends might help applicants assess where test scores might be required, recommended, or redundant?
Brooke Hanson at SupertutorTV recently updated The Truth About Test-Optional Admissions based on data from the 2024-25 admissions cycle. This analysis sorts the top 100 National Universities in the U.S. News and World Report rankings along with an additional 13 top-ranked Liberal Arts Colleges based on percentage of Fall 2024 enrolled students submitting SAT or ACT scores. The numbers broke out as follows:
Test-Required: 22 schools (10 of the top 20)
Test-Preferred: 19 schools
Slight Test Advantage: 14 schools
Test-Agnostic: 11 schools
Truly Test-Optional: 37 schools
Test-Blind: 10 schools (9 in California)
Adding extra liberal arts institutions may skew the degree of test optionality that applicants to highly selective schools might encounter at their target schools, but the numbers accurately depict how wide the range of score requirements still are. Hanson takes pains to point out that 50% of the top 20 colleges are now test-required and that only about 35% of schools in the top 100 are truly test-optional. That said, this saga still continues to unfold as we await the data for the most recent wave of college freshmen.
Stay tuned… but also do your best to bring strong test scores to your applications until you hear otherwise!
NAME THAT SCHOOL
Think you know a lot about colleges? Try to guess this institution of higher education. (Find the answer at the end of the newsletter.)
Founded in 1898 as St. Vincent’s College but rechartered in 1907
Home to one of the 10 oldest business schools in the U.S.
Currently the largest Catholic university in the country and historically the first in the nation to admit women
Nationally ranked in game design and animation but especially known for theatre with a unique BFA in Costume Technology
The school’s colorful mascot goes by the name DIBS, which is an explanatory acronym.
APPLICATION ACTION STEPS
🎓 Master test math formula flashcards.
🎓 Understand what is meant by the rigged college game.
🎓 Find out if 529 funds can be used for tutoring and test prep.
🎓 Learn what coaches really mean during the recruitment process.
HOTLINE
Do you have any burning questions to ask or want to share an issue, article, or resource our readers should know about? Dial up the College Eagle hotline through this easy form. We appreciate you!
NAME THAT SCHOOL ANSWER
DePaul University’s diabolical mascot goes by the cheeky handle DIBS, which stands for Demon in a Blue Suit. Go Blue Demons!