MIT Requires Tests, UC and Cal State Go Test Blind
On March 28, MIT announced its plans to reinstate their pre-COVID standardized testing requirements immediately. This decision affects the high school classes of 2023 and beyond. In doing so, MIT joins Georgetown as arguably the most elite college or university to return to their pre-pandemic admissions requirements.
Most interesting about MIT’s decision to revert to their old testing requirement is that MIT is doing so in the name of increased diversity, equity, and inclusion. Stu Schmill, MIT’s Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services, wrote that MIT believes that standardized tests “help us identify socioeconomically disadvantaged students who lack access to advanced coursework or other enrichment opportunities that would otherwise demonstrate their readiness for MIT. We believe a requirement is more equitable and transparent than a test-optional policy.”
MIT’s rationale contradicts that offered by numerous test-optional/test-blind institutions and advocates. For instance, when the University of California Board of Regents voted unanimously to go test blind (the UC system, including Berkeley and UCLA, will not consider any test scores, even if students submit them), the Board argued that the tests harmed the UC system’s mission to increase its diversity, equity, and inclusion. UC announced in July 2021 that it had admitted the largest and most diverse class in its history. Strikingly, the Board’s vote overrode the UC faculty’s desire to return to requiring tests; the UC faculty argued that, based on their research, the tests actually benefitted many underserved and minority students. The Cal State system in April joined the UC's test-blind policy.
Despite MIT’s and Georgetown’s decisions to require test scores, Stumptown tutors strongly suspect the current sweep of test-optional/test-free policies will continue for the great majority of schools. MIT and Georgetown are known to be idiosyncratic within the college admissions world. Significantly, both are highly competitive with acceptance rates of 7% and 17% respectively. Notably, the great majority of admitted students at both institutions submitted test scores, even in the pandemic classes of 2020 and 2021 when sending scores was optional. For schools that report these kinds of data, the same is true across most highly-selective institutions, whether they required tests or not: most students admitted to highly selective colleges submitted their test scores.
Harvard announced several months ago that it will remain test optional through 2026. Other Ivies, along with many other prestigious colleges in the United States, plan to continue their test-optional or test-blind policies for the next admissions cycle. For the most recent updates on who is test-optional or test-blind, FairTest keeps its list up-to-date. Alternatively, go straight to any college's website. Click the Admission Requirements tab for details of a college's testing policy and the philosophy behind it. If you are not sure you have the best information or how a specific policy impacts you and your application, check with your college counselor.