Yale Suspends ACT/SAT Requirement for One Year

Yale University announced yesterday that it is suspending the ACT/SAT requirement for 2020-21 applicants due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SAT Subject Test requirement was suspended back in April of this year.

If students who have already completed the ACT or SAT want to self-report scores, the may. To be blunt, this means that students should absolutely submit scores if they have them, and students who have yet to take either exam should take them if possible.

Not a free pass!
Yale, like other universities with similar changes, insists that applications will undergo a holistic review and that applicants without test scores won’t be disadvantaged. As we’ve mentioned before, this isn’t necessarily true. The “holistic” review, as outlined by Yale, includes “a student’s […] demonstrated academic drive and commitment.” Competitive universities in particular will go to extra lengths to gauge this criterion. For example, if two students (both with competitive profiles) from the same school district apply to Yale, but only one of them submitted Standardized Test scores, which student will seem more committed? Do university admissions officers understand and take into account the varying nuances of student applications? Yes, but during the first round of review with thousands of applicants, they are looking for any easy reason to reject a student.

If Yale University (or any college) wanted to truly even the playing field in terms of standardized test scores, they would say that scores would not be reviewed or considered as part of the application process.

For more information on admissions and testing changes due to COVID-19, click here.