From Warren Wilson College
Press release
Students applying to Warren Wilson College now may choose whether or not they wish to submit their SAT or ACT exam scores as a part of their application. The College’s application process includes high school GPA, the student’s personal statement, letters of recommendation and community service record. Nationwide, this comprehensive approach is proven to be the best method for evaluating an applicant’s potential for undergraduate success. The new admission policy goes into effect for fall 2016 applicants.
“This policy change makes sense,” said Janelle Holmboe, vice president for enrollment. “We value the whole student; the ways in which they innovate and apply knowledge, how they seek to serve others, and how they hope to make an impact in the world through hard work. Those qualities aren’t just reflected in test scores.”
According to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), over 850 accredited schools offering bachelor’s degrees, including more than one-third of the top-ranked liberal arts colleges, have test-optional policies. Test-optional policies help create larger and more diverse applicant pools by lessening racial class, gender and cultural barriers to college enrollment posed by standardized testing. FairTest also saw increased access for low-income college applicants when the costs associated with testing, including preparatory courses, were eliminated.
“We believe a test-optional policy better connects our admission criteria with the educational experience we offer students,” said Holmboe. “The evidence supports and enhances Warren Wilson’s commitment to well-rounded approaches to learning in and out of the classroom and through work and service.”
FairTest reports more than 24 schools have adopted a similar policy since the spring semester of 2014.
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