The first Ivy League has just reinstated standardized test scores on all applications for the upcoming 2024 application cycle. Learn what implications this brings and how it will transform the application landscape in the post-COVID era.
On February 5, 2024, Dartmouth’s Admissions Office released an article announcing it will be resuming mandatory ACT/SAT scores for the class of 2029 applicants. The article continues saying that test-optional applications were always deemed to be a temporary symptom of the COVID pandemic. The reasoning for this move was clear: test-optional applications were harming “high-achieving applicants from low and middle-income backgrounds.” This comes as many disenfranchised students were not submitting their test scores as they were below the median for average acceptances into the college. However, this median score is deceptive as it does not paint a holistic picture for those who are admitted on the lower 50% of applicants. This is because socioeconomic status plays a key role in admissions and lower test scores are accounted for in this holistic paradigm. In short, the university discovered that kids who would have gained admission did not, simply because they withheld test scores that were sufficient based upon the rest of their application.
This decision is what many experts are calling the first of many. In coming years it is likely that a return to the pre-COVID status quo of mandatory standardized testing is inevitable. This test-optional trend was primarily perpetrated by the notion that these tests were actually exclusionary and harmful to disenfranchised populations. However, Dartmouth, through a new research study commissioned by the university’s president has found the contrary. To quote directly from the paper…
”Our overall conclusion is that the use of SAT and ACT scores is an essential method by which Admissions can identify applicants who will succeed at Dartmouth. Importantly, these test scores better position Admissions to identify high-achieving less-advantaged applicants and high-achieving applicants who attend high schools for which Dartmouth has less information to interpret the transcripts. The data suggest that, under an SAT/ACT optional (hereafter “test-optional”) policy, many high-achieving less-advantaged applicants choose not to submit scores even when doing so would allow Admissions to identify them as students likely to succeed at Dartmouth and in turn benefit their application.”
Ultimately, this is seen as a win by many, especially following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Affirmative Action in 2023. Being able to aid disadvantaged students is important and it is crucial for students to understand how they stack up even when they feel like they are not matched to the average applicant that is admitted to an institution. While adding these requirements to more applications can feel tedious for students, they represent more opportunities for students to be seen as a well-rounded candidate with more strengths than what is displayed in a GPA.
If you feel yourself struggling to understand these intricacies in the college application process, it is completely normal. College Connected serves as an affordable and actionable option for many to take advantage of in the college application process and can help break down complex ideas like the reintroduction of mandatory testing requirements. Schedule your free consultation and learn how you can showcase your best self in the application process.
