Test-Optional Archives

Strict Guidelines for Campus Life, Changes to Fall Sports, and MIT Goes Test-Optional

From a whole new world of college sports to the new rules of on-campus socializing, college admissions news largely focused on policies relating to Fall 2020 this week. And keeping the test-optional news going, MIT is now added to the list. In application news, MIT suspended its SAT/ACT testing requirement for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle and Johns Hopkins added Early […]

What Colleges Care About During This Time of Crisis

So much has been changed and impacted by the Covid pandemic, including the college application process. Dozens of colleges have announced changes to their testing policies for the next application cycle (more than half of US colleges are test-optional for 2020-2021), and over 300 college admissions deans recently endorsed a statement highlighting what they would […]

Georgia Tech Drops The Main Common App Essay, Emory Will Superscore, More Colleges Go Test-Optional

It’s been another busy week in college admissions. Here’s the weekly round-up: There were more test-optional announcements, from large state universities like the University of Texas-Austin to private universities like Emory and Syracuse (Emory will now also superscore the ACT). Check out our list of post-Covid test-optional schools (updated daily). A statement from Syracuse’s Dean of Admissions underscores that test-optional doesn’t mean test-blind: “It’s important […]

This Week in College Admissions: Test-Optional Updates, US News Rankings Change, and Fall Reopening

It’s been a busy week in college admissions. Here’s the weekly round-up: ACT Section Retesting is being delayed to 2021. ACT says it’s to accommodate all the rising seniors who need to take the ACT in light of 2020 testing cancellations and disruptions. Princeton, the last Ivy to go test-optional for 2020-2021, also announced that […]

Test-Optional and Test-Flexible Schools

As your college list takes shape, you may find that some of your schools are test-optional or test-flexible. With an increasing number of schools adopting alternative testing policies, it’s important to know what that means, and how it could affect you as you prepare to apply to college. To be Test-Optional or Test-Flexible means that […]

Ithaca College adds Early Action deadline and goes SAT Optional

Ithaca College has announced two important changes that will affect applicants for the fall 2013 entering class: Early Action and test-optional admissions. Until now, applicants to Ithaca have had two application options. They could apply by November 1 as an Early Decision applicant to receive a binding admissions decision by December 15. Alternately, they could […]

Do I Have to Take Subject Tests?

Not everyone has to take SAT Subject Tests as part of the college application process. In fact, depending on where you are planning to apply, and if you’re taking the SAT or ACT, you may not have to take them at all. Whether you end up needing them or not, it’s important to start thinking […]