Investigating a Test-Optional University Admissions Policy: How Students Decide Whether to Submit Test Scores

• In Event: Higher Educaton Pathways: From High School to College and Beyond

Abstract

Of the 1900 test-optional or test-free colleges and universities in the United States, over 800 shifted to a test-optional admission policy after 2019. This paper examines how applicants made sense of a test-optional admissions policy at a large, public university. Current literature focuses on the reason why colleges/universities become test optional but there is little research on students’ perspectives on test-optional admission policies. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we interviewed eight students in a semi-structured format and surveyed 419 students. The survey results supported the thematic analysis of student reasoning to either submit or not submit their scores with students referencing high scores for reason for submission and low scores for non-submission.

Authors

• Morgaen L. Donaldson, University of Connecticut

• Kiah DeVona, University of Connecticut

• Catherina Villafuerte, University of Connecticut

• Eric Loken, University of Connecticut