The University of Rochester became the latest school to go test optional. It became test flexible back in 2011. That meant applicants who didn’t take the SAT or ACT could submit another standardized national or international test such as an AP exam instead.
Vice Provost for Enrollment Initiatives and Dean of Admissions Jonathan Burdick explained, “During our test-flexible years, we also discovered that optional standardized tests added little extra value to our review process.”
In case you’re not aware, University of Rochester is a terrific school. It has a student-to-faculty ration of 10. It also admits only about one third of its applicants.
We hope this new policy leads to a significantly larger applicant pool. Furthermore, we hope such an increase will help persuade other colleges to become test optional. There’s a groundswell against standardized testing. We would be as happy as everyone else if standardized tests become obsolete!