Special Notes about the College Admissions Process

The rise of “test-optional” and “test-blind” college admissions; return of test requirements at some highly selective colleges

Nearly 80% of US colleges and universities have announced they are test-optional or test-free for the 2025-26 admissions cycle, according to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, also known as Fair Test.  Over 1,825 four-year colleges and universities will not require ACT or SAT scores. The major exceptions to the “test-optional” trend, according to Fair Test, are the Florida public college system, the University of Georgia system (including Georgia Tech), the Tennessee public college system, U.S. service academies, Brown, Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Purdue, Stanford, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Texas at Austin, Yale, and some denominational colleges. Cornell University, among others, recommends applicants take standardized tests. 

Test-blind colleges will not accept standardized test score submissions from any applicant to their school.  Fair Test reports that there are over 85 colleges that are test blind, including some of the most selective such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, Reed College, and Pitzer College.

Most schools will continue to consider submitted test scores in their review processes.  In many cases home-schooled students, international students, and students seeking merit scholarships or places in honors programs are still expected to submit standardized test scores. Tests may also be used for course placement. Advanced Placement and IB test results are widely used in the college application process.

Changes to the applicant experience

In-person campus tours have resumed, along with an expanded array of virtual college exploration options.  Virtual campus tours and on-line interviews with admissions officers are often the “new normal.” The last five years also marked a rise in interest from schools that welcome students’ virtual portfolios via SlideRoom, including student videos where students talk about themselves on platforms such as Glimpse by InitialView.  

Demonstrating Grit and Resilience

Every applicant has stories to tell about how he/she responded to a challenge, or restrictions imposed as the result of an obstacle or difficulty.  Key to these narratives are examples about one’s determination to persevere and to grow as a person.  Colleges and universities are interested to hear about how applicants have responded, and they seek to admit students who have greatly contributed to their campuses and to their communities.