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Syracuse University will remain test-optional for students applying for admission in fall 2025 and spring 2026, according to a Wednesday news release.

SU first established a test-optional admissions policy in 2021 during the pandemic and has since extended the policy to subsequent admissions cycles. Under the policy, applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores. Applicants are not penalized if they choose to not send scores and are still considered for merit scholarships, according to the release.

If an applicant chooses to submit their test scores, they may either self-report or submit official scores. Applicants who self-report must submit official test scores if they are admitted and choose to enroll.

Maurice Harris, dean of admissions, said in the release that the test-optional policy allows “greater emphasis” on other aspects of prospective students’ applications like academic courses and extracurriculars.

With the pandemic and concerns over the equity of standardized testing, test-optional admissions policies have become more common in recent years. Over 1,900 schools did not require applicants to submit scores for fall 2024 admissions, according to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. After the United States Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in June, experts predicted even more colleges would switch to test-optional.

Since then, some major universities have gone back to requiring standardized test scores, including Dartmouth College, Yale University and Brown University, pointing to the standardized tests’ indicators of success in college classes. Others, like Georgetown University and the University of Florida, immediately reverted to requiring test scores after the pandemic subsided.

At a September University Senate meeting, Vice Chancellor Gretchen Ritter said that SU would keep its legacy admissions in place as the university does not “simply admit” based on legacy. However, she added that the university’s admissions efforts would focus on recruiting a diverse student body and revising essay questions to ask applicants how they would contribute to a campus community that is “welcoming to all.”

Published on April 3, 2024 at 8:52 pm

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu