for further information, contact:
Harry Feder (917) 273-8939
Bob Schaeffer (239) 699-0468
for immediate release Thursday, November 10, 2022
RECORD 1,835+ SCHOOLS ARE ACT/SAT-OPTIONAL OR
TEST-BLIND/SCORE-FREE FOR FALL 2023 APPLICANTS;
TWO-THIRDS COMMIT TO EXTENDING POLICIES AT LEAST THROUGH 2024
As high school seniors across the nation rush to meet college application deadlines, a new tally finds that more than 80% of U.S. bachelor-degree granting institutions are not requiring students seeking fall 2023 admission to submit either ACT or SAT standardized exam scores.
At least 1,835 U.S. colleges and universities now have either ACT/SAT-optional or test-blind/score-free policies. That’s according to the updated list released today by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest).
“An overwhelming majority of undergraduate admissions offices now make selection decisions without relying on ACT/SAT results,” FairTest Executive Director Harry Feder explained. “These schools recognize that standardized test scores do not measure academic ‘merit.’ What they do assess quite accurately is family wealth, but that should not be the criteria for getting into college.”
Feder continued, “De-emphasizing standardized exam scores is a model that all of U.S. education – from K-12 through graduate schools – should follow.”
By FairTest’s count, more than 1,750 schools have ACT/SAT-optional policies for fall 2023. Applicants can choose whether their test scores are considered in the admissions process. An additional 85 schools are test-blind or score-free meaning applicants’ standardized exam results are not considered even if they are submitted. That number includes the entire California public university system.
FairTest’s list also shows that more than 1,450 colleges and universities have made their test-optional and test-blind policies permanent. Ninety more have extended them at least through the fall 2024 admissions cycle. That covers current high school juniors. “Admissions without test-scores is the “new normal” for this generation of college applicants,” concluded FairTest Public Education Director Bob Schaeffer.
The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics recognizes 2,278 bachelor-degree granting colleges and universities which enroll first-year students.
– – 3 0 – — FairTest’s frequently updated directory of test-optional, 4-year schools is available free online at https://www.fairtest.org/university/optional