Davidson College makes SATs, ACTs optional for admissions, for now, because of COVID-19
Saying COVID-19 canceled many of the standardized test dates nationwide, Davidson College officials are no longer requiring high school students to submit SAT and ACT results as part of their applications.
The change to test-optional admissions will be a three-year pilot program at Davidson, beginning with students who apply for the Class of 2025, according to the college. Officials will then decided whether to stay with the approach indefinitely or return to requiring the test results, they said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented obstacles and disruptions for everyone, including young people pursuing their academic and life aspirations,” Chris Gruber, Davidson College dean of admission and financial aid, posted on the Davidson College website this week.
“SAT and ACT test dates have been canceled, and no one can offer assurance of when future tests will be offered,” Gruber said.
Davidson College joined a steadily rising number of colleges and universities no longer requiring the test results because of COVID-19.
At least 17 schools have made the tests optional, including Newberry College in South Carolina, Boston University, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., Inside Higher Ed reported Monday.
‘A series of hurdles’
Davidson is a private, liberal arts college with 1,843 enrolled students, according to its website. The college was founded in 1837.
“The circumstances create much more than an inconvenience,” Gruber said of test cancellations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. “They create the first in a series of hurdles for all of our applicants trying to navigate the college admission process” for students of all backgrounds.
He said the test-optional policy “speaks to Davidson’s commitment to access and reflects our approach that, while tests provide some useful information, other aspects of an applicant’s academic journey better reflect how they will perform and thrive here.”