The 糖心vlog视频 will not require standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, for applicants entering in autumn quarter 2021 and beyond.
Long interested in ways to improve access to a UW education, the faculty at UW Bothell made testing optional as a temporary policy in spring 2020, prompted by immediate issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The executive council of the UW Bothell General Faculty Organization then voted in December to permanently adopt a 鈥渢est-optional鈥 admission policy. As both faculty and administrators noted, the pandemic accelerated the move to less reliance on the scores as a matter of access equity.
鈥淭his measure, which is the same policy followed by the UW in Seattle, recognizes that standardized test scores do not correlate with student success,鈥 said Dr. Sharon A. Jones, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. 鈥淥ur holistic admission process identifies promising students more equitably.鈥
An option, not a requirement
Students may still include test results with their applications, but there鈥檚 no disadvantage for opting out, said Dr. Keith Nitta, GFO chair and associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need these tests to go to UW Bothell. There are better ways for us to admit students.鈥
Scores can be a psychological or symbolic barrier, especially for students who would be the first in their families to graduate from a four-year college or who are from populations that have been underrepresented in higher education, Nitta said.
鈥淚f it can encourage high school students to apply for a school they thought wasn鈥檛 available for them,鈥 he said, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 exactly why we passed the policy.鈥
No disadvantage
Because the first test-optional decision came late in the application cycle last year, only 2% of the applicants for autumn quarter 2020 chose it, said Dr. Scott James, acting assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Management. But more than half of the applicants for autumn quarter 2021 are opting not to include test scores, said James, who expects the final percentage to be even higher.
An applicant鈥檚 family can be confident that withholding test scores won鈥檛 hurt their chances in the Office of Admissions, James said. 鈥淔or a couple of years, we鈥檝e already been weighting it less heavily because we know it doesn鈥檛 predict future success.鈥
If a standardized test was taken, however, enrolling students will be asked to submit scores for research purposes, James said.
Nationally, about 1,700 four-year institutions have become test optional, according to , which works to eliminate racial, class, gender and cultural barriers to equal opportunity.
The College Board, which runs the SAT, recently announced it was creating a more flexible test to meet the evolving needs of students and higher education.
Holistic approach
The high school grade point average is a better predictor of college success than the SAT or ACT, said James. UW Bothell鈥檚 holistic approach to admission also considers extracurricular activities, the content of a personal statement and the quality of that writing, as well as social and economic factors such as whether an applicant comes from a low-income neighborhood or is a veteran or an adult returning to college.
James, who has been at UW Bothell since August 2020, said the move away from standardized tests was recommended by his predecessor, Steve Syverson, 鈥渢o make a firmer statement about our beliefs.鈥
College admission is one of the things that will never be the same after the pandemic 鈥 thankfully, said Syverson, who retired last year as UW Bothell鈥檚 assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Management.
Although it was the pandemic that prompted UW Bothell to act, Syverson has long favored a test-optional policy. He鈥檚 concerned that, because of weaker test scores, many students from less-privileged backgrounds who would have done well in college were perhaps not admitted in the past.
鈥淓ver since I arrived at Bothell in March 2016, I thought it would make perfect sense for us to go test optional. It aligns with our commitment to serve several populations who traditionally are not well served by the SAT and ACT,鈥 Syverson said.
Selectivity versus success
Throughout a career that included several other institutions of higher education, Syverson served on the board of the and in 2018 coauthored the study, .
鈥淥ur study included nearly a million individual student records, and though the non-submitters鈥 average SATs were 140-180 points lower than their counterparts who submitted scores, their graduation rates were comparable, if not better,鈥 Syverson said.
Over the years, some colleges chased high average tests scores in an effort to appear more selective, Syverson said, and a fixation on scores has helped spawn a massive test-preparation industry. But, the strongest correlation with the SAT is the affluence and education level of the parents 鈥 not student success in college, he said.
鈥淚 think this will turn out to be a watershed moment for the use of the SAT/ACT in admissions,鈥 Syverson said. 鈥淚n some ways, the pandemic gave many colleges 鈥榩ermission鈥 to adopt a test-optional policy. I think they鈥檒l find it helps them enroll a more diverse student body.鈥
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If you have questions about how the test-optional policy impacts your application to UW Bothell, please call the Office of Admissions at 425.352.5000.
