Degree Completion Rate Drops For First Time In A Decade

More Colleges are ‘Permanently’ Going Test Optional

Columbia University, in New York, and the College of William & Mary, in Virginia, became the latest schools to declare a full test-optional policy without any time limits, The Washington Post reports.

A growing number of selective universities are extending pandemic-spurred measures of test-optional admissions after seeing success in removing standardized testing during the pandemic.

“We want to empower students with more flexibility to demonstrate their talent when applying,” Tim Wolfe, the dean of admission at William & Mary, says. “Our admission process is comprehensive and multifaceted. As we found through the pilot, we continue to enroll highly qualified students — with or without a standardized test score — capable of succeeding academically and in contributing to the William & Mary community.”

MORE THAN 1,700 COLLEGES ARE TEST-OPTIONAL

Currently, over 1,700 colleges and universities are test-optional in admissions, according to FairTest. But most of these colleges’ policies are temporary initiatives that came out of the pandemic.

Columbia became the first Ivy League school to declare a full test-optional policy without any time limits. While the university stopped short of saying the policy was “permanent,” there doesn’t appear to be any time limit anymore.

“Our review is purposeful and nuanced—respecting varied backgrounds, voices and experiences—in order to best determine an applicant’s suitability for admission and ability to thrive in our curriculum and our community, and to advance access to our educational opportunities,” Columbia says in a message to applicants. “We have designed our application to afford the greatest possible opportunity and flexibility for students to represent themselves fully and showcase their academic talents, interests and goals. Standardized testing is not a required component of our application.”

Other Ivy League schools, including Harvard and Princeton, have suspended admission testing requirements for students entering through fall 2026. Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania are currently test-optional through fall 2024. Yale, Brown, and Dartmouth College currently are only test-optional for this fall, but experts predict that those policies will soon be extended.

Sources: The Washington Post, FairTest, Columbia University