Posted on 02/20/2025 7:14:05 AM PST by george76
The University of Pennsylvania announced it would require standardized test scores for undergraduates in the upcoming admissions cycle.
The school says the change will bring 'clarity and transparency to the application process.'
Another Ivy League institution has elected to reinstate mandatory standardized testing after making it optional for undergraduate applicants since the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, the University of Pennsylvania announced it would require SAT or ACT scores in the upcoming admissions cycle in order to bring “clarity and transparency to the application process.”
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”Beginning with the 2025-2026 undergraduate admissions cycle, Penn is reinstating a standardized testing requirement for applicants, with the goal of bringing clarity and transparency to the application process,” the school writes. “Beginning with the 2025-2026 undergraduate admissions cycle, Penn is reinstating a standardized testing requirement for applicants, with the goal of bringing clarity and transparency to the application process.”
The university will accommodate those applicants “facing hardship in accessing testing” by allowing them to apply for a test waiver option.
”Penn pivoted to a test-optional policy in 2020-2021 to accommodate applicants facing significant hurdles accessing testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the school states. “By returning to a testing requirement, Penn aims to remove uncertainty for applicants trying to decide whether to include their test scores.”
UPenn’s update does say that the school has reevaluated implementing mandatory testing each year since the pandemic, and now has officially made the changes during the first year of the new Trump administration.
”Penn’s practice has been, and continues to be, considering a student’s school-based academic record on its own merit, with testing as part of Admission’s broad and comprehensive assessment,” the university notes.
The policy update arrives less than a month after President Trump signed an executive order on “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity,” which says that Americans “should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex.”
UPenn officially becomes the sixth Ivy League school to reinstate mandatory standardized testing for undergraduate applicants.
Previously, Cornell University was the last Ivy League institution to eliminate its test-optional policy in April 2024, with James Dean of the Cornell Chronicle noting that the practice may have had “inadvertent consequences.”
The Ivies have discovered that admitting ninnies and numskulls is not a good way to run a college. They have an image to uphold, even though it is artificial.
I like how they blame DEI admission policies on Covid.
EC
I suspect a lot of non-tested admit-tees to U of Penn either dropped or flunked out. U Penn will never admit it, of course.
College admission should be merit based.
Correct
I imagine U Penn simply found that without a concrete, universal measure, it is impossible to judge the real ability of an applicant
Very aggressive parents and students (cough, cough Chinese/Korean/Indians) have many schemes to get their kids into Ivies
They hire agents who package and prepare college applications to top schools
they can have AI write essays, or hire paid writers
They can manufacture work or volunteer experience.
In our “everyone gets a trophy” society, all teacher recommendations are glowing.
One can even prep for AP tests.
“James Dean of the Cornell Chronicle noting that the practice may have had “inadvertent consequences.””
Yeah, “inadvertent consequences” like admitting pathetically unqualified people to the university? People who never had a chance of cutting it in college or graduating?
Mr. Dean and his cohorts knew full well what would happen. They’d admit unqualified people who would fail. They would have to dumb down tests and grading to keep too many of them from flunking out. The school’s reputation would suffer. Alumni donations would dry up.
For him to call it “inadvertent consequences” is a flat-out lie.
Correct..
For him to call it “inadvertent consequences” is a flat-out lie.
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