Little known secret: The basic measurement of who is "smart" enough to attend college is the college admission test. The purpose of that test? To see exactly how good your math and writing skills are. The scores tell the college what entrance level courses you HAVE to take. Most schools, for any degree, require some math and writing, so almost everyone has to take some courses.
The colleges really rake in the dough, making kids pay regular tuition for REMEDIAL classes. The good for the kid is actually learning something. The bad is, even though they pay for the class based on credit hours, remedial classes credit hours do not count towards anything.
All the other stuff that kids stress about and colleges make such a huge deal of is just more ways to sort/refine the incoming kids. It's a way to keep the really undesirables out.
Another secret? At the community college level, a high school diploma is not required. Those scores are what is required. Of course, U of M won't take a student with no hs diploma, but if that same student started at a community college and then transferred to an University, they're in! HS no longer matters after that first Associate's Degree.
The above info is never meant to be shared with teenagers who have not graduated high school! ;)
I’ve always heard it explained this way:
ACT: How complete your HS edgmacation was.
SAT: Your chances of finishing college with your HS background.
CommColl: Getting into “real” college without a diploma or entrance-exam.
Many moons ago I taught remedial classes and helped students prepare for SAT. It was amazing to me that some of those people even got a HS degree.