Harvard Plans: Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have announced plans to reintroduce the SAT or ACT as admission requirements, joining other prestigious institutions in returning to standardized testing after pandemic-induced pauses.
Harvard’s policy shift will affect applicants for fall 2025, retracting its earlier decision to make testing optional for several additional years. Similarly, Caltech will require scores from applicants this fall, a year earlier than initially planned.
Harvard Plans….
The decisions come amidst a broader reconsideration of standardized tests, especially following a Supreme Court ruling last June prohibiting the consideration of race in admissions.
Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown have also recently announced the reinstatement of testing, citing its value in providing context for assessing less-privileged applicants’ potential success.
Critics argue that standardized testing favours wealthier students who can afford tutoring, but the pandemic prompted prestigious colleges to temporarily suspend testing.
However, concerns have since emerged about identifying talented students from diverse backgrounds without standardized tests.
Harvard’s decision coincides with shifting recruitment dynamics, as the university grapples with declining undergraduate applications for the second consecutive year.
The school received about 54K applications for the next freshman class, down from 61K two years ago when testing requirements were waived.
As institutions navigate these changes, the debate over standardized testing’s role in admissions continues, reflecting ongoing efforts to promote diversity and equity in higher education.
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