Policy Backgrounders

College Entrance Exams Revisited

February 09, 2024

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead^®

For many years, required standardized college entrance exams were a standard part of the college admissions process in the US. However, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a growing trend of schools stepping away from this requirement. Dartmouth College announced on February 5 that it was reinstating its standardized testing requirements for the class of 2029.

• By Fall 2023, 83% of US four-year schools had adopted test-optional or test-blind policies.
• During the pandemic, several major universities permanently moved away from requiring college entrance exams, including Columbia University and the University of California system.
• Dartmouth, in contrast, on February 5 announced it was reinstating its testing requirement because it had concluded based on an internal review that the absence of the test reporting requirement disadvantaged applicants from low-resourced backgrounds despite popular views that test-optional systems could lead to more equitable access.