2024-10-08
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Study Abroad
Test-Optional Policies: A Debate Among Higher Education Experts
The Impact of Test-Optional Policies on College Admissions
Test-Optional Policies: A Debate Among Higher Education Experts
Higher education experts at the National Association for College Admission Counseling's annual conference discussed the benefits and drawbacks of test-optional policies. Advocates argue that standardized tests help college officials determine which applicants would thrive academically at their institutions. However, Harry Feder, executive director of FairTest, argued that tests only tell us how wealthy your parents are. Students from the top 1% of income are 13 times more likely than students from the bottom 20% to score 1300 or higher on the SAT. Wake Forest University, a private research institution in North Carolina, adopted its own test-optional policy in 2008 and hasn't found differences in academic achievement between students who elected to submit test scores and those who didn't. The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa is temporarily test optional, though Nikki Chun, the university's vice provost for enrollment management, is working to make the change permanent.
