Responding to the extraordinary circumstances facing high school students and families due to COVID-19, Syracuse University has announced that SAT and ACT test scores will not be required for submission in the application process for fall 2021 admission.
“The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the lives of countless college-bound students and introduced tremendous stress and uncertainty into the college admission process,” says Maurice A. Harris, dean of admissions. “Test dates have been canceled. Social distancing requirements and other issues have constrained testing capacity. By making the submission of test scores optional, we hope to alleviate some of the stress on applicants to Syracuse University.”
Harris says the option will also help applicants from around the nation and the globe whose access to testing facilities is limited. “While we cannot change the realities of these unprecedented circumstances, we can change our processes to help first-year applicants in the 2020-21 application cycle,” says Harris.
Students who are unable to submit standardized test results, or who choose not to, will not be disadvantaged, Harris says. “As they have always been, standardized test scores are just one component of our holistic review process. Now, we will place greater emphasis on other required application credentials, including academic performance, the rigor of coursework and co-curricular engagement.” Students who do not submit test scores will remain eligible for merit scholarships.
Standardized test scores, along with the high school grade point average (GPA), are used by many universities to predict student performance in the first year of college, but Harris says high school performance is the most powerful indicator of academic success.
“It’s important that we continue to evaluate the best ways to assess a student’s readiness for the rigors of a university education,” says Harris. “But standardized test scores are just a piece of a much larger picture. They remain useful.”
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