Dive Brief:
- Hampshire College will no longer consider SAT or ACT scores in its admissions and financial aid decisions, it announced Wednesday.
- The Amherst, MA, college says its decision reflects a concern for fairness, because the tests more accurately reflect family economic status than potential for college success.
- Previously, since 1970, the test scores were optional — the college would look at the scores if a student wanted to submit them in an application.
Dive Insight:
Another reason behind Hampshire’s decision on the test scores is the fact that the college itself doesn’t use traditional tests or letter grades, said Meredith Twombly, dean of admissions and financial aid. Instead, professors give their students detailed narrative evaluations, based on classroom discussions, written work, and projects. While more than 800 four-year colleges and universities make test score submission optional, Hampshire College is now the only competitive four-year college in the country that is “test blind,” according to Insider Higher Ed.