Brown University will reintroduce standardized admissions testing

The news

Brown University will reinstate standardized testing requirements for admissions, joining Yale, Dartmouth and MIT in returning to the “test optional” policy adopted during the Covid pandemic.

Brown’s decision, announced Tuesday, requires SAT or ACT scores and will take effect in the upcoming admissions cycle.

Why go back?

In his announcement, Brown said the test results were a clear indicator of future success.

“Our analysis made clear that SAT and ACT scores are among the most important indicators that help predict a student’s ability to succeed and thrive in Brown’s demanding academic environment,” said the Providence, RI, university in a statement.

Brown also echoed concerns from both Dartmouth and Yale that suspending testing requirements had the unintended effect of harming prospective students from low-income families.

The committee at Brown charged with reviewing the admissions policy was concerned that some students from less privileged backgrounds and lower scores had chosen not to submit scores under the test-optional policy, even if submitting them could improve their chances of admission could actually have increased. .

“Strong tests, interpreted in the context of a student’s background, can serve to demonstrate their ability to succeed at Brown,” the announcement said, “and the lack of scores may mean admissions officers are hesitant to admit them .”

Applications to highly selective colleges soared during the optional testing period. Last year, Brown said it received more than 51,000 registrations for the fall 2023 course.

Is this a growing trend?

Not quite.

For every school that brings back standardized testing, a number of institutions are moving in the opposite direction, part of a growing test-optional movement in the United States. About 2,000 colleges and universities have said they will not require entrance exams. according to FairTestan anti-testing organization.

Proponents of test-optional policies argue that it creates a level playing field, eliminating the advantage given to high school students from affluent families who can afford test-prep courses and coaches who boost their scores.

Many colleges chose to maintain optional testing policies even as the pandemic subsided. Colombia announced last year it would be test-optional, and Harvard has said it will be test-optional through the classroom graduate in 2030.

The University of Michigan, one of the nation’s most selective public universities, announced in February that it would make testing optional, eliminating a “test-flexible” policy that allowed the use of other tests such as Advanced Placement.

The California university system has adopted a “test-blind” policy, meaning scores are not looked at even if they are submitted.

What about other admissions practices?

Brown said a committee analyzing admissions practices had weighed the issue of legacy preferences, giving a boost to the children of alumni, but had not yet reached a conclusion.

About 8 percent of the students in Brown’s freshman class are throwbacks.

“The issue of admissions preferences raises complex questions about equity and access, about merit and unearned advantage, about the tangible and intangible impact of affinity, loyalty and community – and about how to balance compelling but competing values,” Brown’s admissions review committee said in a resume.

On the one hand, the committee found that students whose parents attended Brown tended to be highly qualified, with stronger academic outcomes. They are also more likely to accept admission offers. And legacies create a “sense of community and loyalty among graduates.”

On the other hand, an analysis suggests that admitting fewer older students could potentially result in a modest increase in the number of low-income and first-generation students, as well as students from historically underrepresented groups, the committee found.

Brown said it would keep those as well early decision admission program. Critics have said such programs help students from wealthier families.