This Week in College Admissions – 4/12/2024

This week, Harvard and Caltech bring back standardized testing, the University of Wisconsin remains test-optional, Duke announces a new curriculum, Colby expands its financial aid program, Pitzer cancels study abroad programs, FAFSA completion rates are down, and the Department of Education investigates more universities.

Harvard University has announced a return to a standardized testing requirement. Students applying for fall 2025 admission will be required to submit SAT or ACT scores. In “exceptional cases,” Harvard will also accept other eligible test scores, such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam scores.

Caltech is also returning to standardized testing for its next admissions cycle. Starting immediately, students will be required to submit SAT or ACT scores with their applications.

The University of Wisconsin has extended its test-optional policy through 2027. For the next two years, applicants to all campuses, including Madison, will not be required to submit standardized test scores.

Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts and Sciences has announced a new curriculum with general education requirements, which will go into effect fall of 2025. This represents the first major change to the curriculum since 2000, with new categories placing a greater emphasis on the arts and humanities.

Thanks to a $10 million gift, Colby College is expanding its Fair Shot Fund, which will make the college more affordable for middle-class families. The college has announced that its new financial aid program will cap the total amount paid by families at multiple income levels.

Pitzer College has dropped its study abroad program in Haifa, Israel, citing low enrollment. While the Israel program is one of 11 overseas programs being removed, the college is facing criticism that the decision was motivated by academic boycott and not bureaucracy.

FAFSA completion rates are down 40 percent compared to last year’s rates. Concerns that this drop portends an enrollment drop for fall are being raised at this time.

The Department of Education has placed four more universities under investigation for for civil rights violations. The list now includes Lehigh University, Princeton University, the University of Michigan, and Youngstown State University.