Dartmouth College announced Monday that is will require students to submit standardized test scores for admissions next year.
During the Covid pandemic, Dartmouth dropped ACT and SAT score requirements along with other top colleges across the country.
But, four Dartmouth professors conducted an internal study into standardized test scores of prior applicants and found that the requirement supports disadvantaged students.
Lower-income applicants to Dartmouth that didn’t submit their test scores harmed their chances, as the admissions office couldn’t be confident about their qualifications. Even lower standardized test scores show that disadvantaged students overcame challenging environments.
Jerry Lucido, a professor at USC and Executive Director of the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice commented on the policy change.
Lucido: it’s been a growing movement even before Covid. Covid made it, almost universal. And now we’re seeing some colleges move back to their testing policies.
Lucido questions the benefit of this policy for low-income students.
Lucido: when colleges often say we do this for equity purposes, well, it may or may not serve that. Depends on who they ultimately admit.
Harry Feder, the Executive Director of FairTest, the national center for Fair and Open Testing wasn’t shocked by Dartmouth’s choice.
Feder: It’s not entirely surprising that Dartmouth would do this. Their admissions folks, I think, went into test optional reluctantly. Dartmouth is a school where a third of its student population comes from independent schools. It has a certain status it would like to keep in the firmament of the Ivies. And it wants to be seen as a selective institution.
Feder says standardized scores are only one indicator of an applicant’s strength and ability to succeed at a top college.
Feder: You don’t need to show an SAT score to prove that you can do the work at an institution. Lots of admissions offices other than Dartmouth have found lots of ways to find talented students who would benefit from the education, who would do well at an institution of that caliber. And now they’re just going to be deterred and cut off.
After Dartmouth’s decision, experts are looking to other colleges if they will make the same change for next year’s applicants.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Isaiah Alwin.