WORCESTER, Mass. – Assumption College officials announced that they will no longer require prospective students to provide SAT or ACT standardized scores when applying to the 105-year-old Worcester college founded by the Assumptionists.
The board of trustees recently approved the new test-score-optional admissions policy, following extended discussions with the college’s key governing bodies, including administrators, academic deans and faculty leaders.
The policy, announced June 9, will be in place for the 2009-10 recruitment season.
Nationwide, the evidence is mounting that standardized testing scores are not the best predictors of success in college, said Evan Lipp, vice president for enrollment management.
“In recent years, more than 800 other colleges and universities from around the nation have adopted test-optional admissions,” Lipp said in a statement.
He explained that last year the school’s enrollment management division and Eduventures, a Boston-area research and consulting firm, “analyzed four years of Assumption’s admissions data and academic records to examine standardized testing’s ability to predict academic success specifically for the students we admit.”
“The study found that high school GPA (cumulative grade point average) is, in fact, a better predictor of academic success at Assumption. Our conclusions mirror those of the national studies,” he said.
Administrators predicted the change in admission policy would strengthen Assumption’s ability to attract prospective students in what is a competitive environment for recruitment, Lipp said.
“The change to test-score-optional status will not affect Assumption’s rigorous admissions standards,” Lipp said. “We will continue to hand-select only those students best qualified for entry. By focusing on a more holistic approach, Assumption will be able to assemble the best possible incoming class.”