More Than 1,830+ Schools Do Not Require ACT/SAT Scores From Current High School Seniors Applying For Fall 2022

Fair Test:

As many high school seniors work on their college applications due in early January, a new tally shows that nearly 80% of bachelor’s degree-granting colleges and universities are not requiring ACT or SAT scores from students seeking to enroll in fall 2022.

According to an updated list released today by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), more than 1,815 colleges and universities now practice test-optional or test-blind admissions, an all-time high. The list includes nearly all of the nation’s most selective colleges and universities.

FairTest also found that at least 1,400 institutions have already extended those policies at least through the fall 2023 admissions cycle. Among the schools that will not require ACT or SAT tests from current high school juniors are well-know private institutions, such as Amherst, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford and Tufts. In addition, many public university systems including those in California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington will remain test-optional or test-blind.

FairTest Executive Director Bob Schaeffer explained, “Evaluating undergraduate applicants without test scores is here to stay. 80% of schools are ACT/SAT-optional or test-blind for current high school seniors. More than three-fifth of all colleges and universities in the nation have already committed to remaining test-optional or test-blind for fall 2023 applicants. We expect the final percentage to be substantial higher.”

Immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,070 schools were test-optional with only one test-blind. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics currently recognizes about 2,330 bachelor-degree granting colleges and universities which enroll first-year students