College Admissions: SAT, ACT Promote Fairness

The Covid-19 pandemic precipitated many changes in higher education, not least of which was a trend among colleges toward ending the use of standardized-test scores in the admissions process. California State University, the nation’s largest public-university system, said that it would stop considering the scores altogether. Harvard said that it would not require SAT or ACT scores for the next four admissions cycles, and might axe the requirement permanently after that.

It was therefore a welcome departure from the trend when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced last month that it would reinstate its standardized-testing requirement, which had been suspended earlier in the pandemic. MIT dean of admissions Stu Schmill argues that “a [testing] requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.” He’s right.

The Covid-19 pandemic precipitated many changes in higher education, not least of which was a trend among colleges toward ending the use of standardized-test scores in the admissions process. California State University, the nation’s largest public-university system, said that it would stop considering the scores altogether. Harvard said that it would not require SAT or ACT scores for the next four admissions cycles, and might axe the requirement permanently after that.

It was therefore a welcome departure from the trend when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced last month that it would reinstate its standardized-testing requirement, which had been suspended earlier in the pandemic. MIT dean of admissions Stu Schmill argues that “a [testing] requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.” He’s right.