Undergraduate Admissions Goes Test Optional
In July, the university announced that prospective freshmen would not be required to submit an ACT or SAT score when applying before December 31, 2020. Recently, the Regents extended the waiver of the requirement to students applying through the summer 2023 term.
Being test optional for the next two application cycles will provide greater flexibility to applicants who are unable to take their test due to cancellations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This will also allow UW–Madison to reexamine the use of standardized test scores in our admissions process. In recent years, standardized testing has come under increasing scrutiny. A new report from NACAC encourages colleges to reexamine their use of testing. The SSTAR (Student Success Through Applied Research) Lab will be studying the data collected over the next two years to understand the specific impacts at UW–Madison and we look forward to seeing what they learn.
As members of the DEM team, you may get questions from family, friends, and students about this change. Here are some answers to the commonly asked questions we are hearing:
- Will a student be disadvantaged for not submitting a test score?
- Our admissions counselors are training to perform the holistic admissions review without test scores.
- Without test scores won’t the quality of our entering class drop?
- Admissions will continue to expect all admits to be prepared to succeed at UW–Madison and we will continue to utilize the holistic review to find the best and brightest students. Even when scores were required, we did not have minimum ACT/SAT scores or score ranges. Test scores have been just a part of the overall holistic admission review.
- What are we doing after 2023?
- That has yet to be determined by the Board of Regents.
- Where can I send students to learn more?
- A FAQ resource can be found on our the Admissions website.
- My child did ok, but not great on the ACT, should they submit their scores?
- Students will need to decide if they want to include their scores at the time of application. While we cannot advise a student on whether they should or should not submit a particular score; a student should evaluate if the score helps to inform what kind of student they are. Your student may want to consider speaking with their school counselor.