Standardized testing for college applications (SAT and ACT) made headlines in March of 2024 as prominent schools like Brown, Dartmouth, Yale and the University of Texas reinstated the requirement to submit a standardized test score as an application requirement.
Other elite institutions like MIT and Georgetown already went back to requiring test scores. Recent research by Harvard-bases Opportunity Insights suggests that standardized test scores have more “predictive power” for success at high selective colleges than high school grades. This is contrary to the prior narrative suggesting that standardized testing is not the best predictor of success in college and beyond, and that it disadvantages student from lower income communities who cannot afford tutoring and test prep. The latest research suggest that lower income students may actually be disadvantaged by test optional policies when considering the most selective schools, as they are reluctant to submit test scores that, while below the median for a school, may actually help them when putting them in the context of their background.
Other schools requiring applicants to submit and SAT or ACT score included Army, Navy, Georgia Tech, the University of Florida, University of Georgia, Florida State, Purdue, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Tennesse and some other less well known schools. Many others notable schools are due to make decisions soon on whether they will also be reinstating the standardized testing requirement, including all of the other Ivy League schools (minus Columbia, which has decided to be permanently test-optional), Stanford, Williams, Northwestern, Duke and Carnegie Mellon, among others. Speculation is that more schools will be going the route of once again requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores.
On the flip side, some of the most selective schools have permanent test-optional policies. Examples include the University of Chicago, Columbia, Bowdoin, Amherst, Pomona, Wesleyan, Colby, Rice, Vassar, Davidson, Haverford, Bates, Hamilton, Smith, Babson, Wake Forest, all of the schools in the University of California system, and others.
The past few years we’ve had a segment of our clients tell us they don’t plan to take the SAT or ACT. Despite the benefits of being a recruited athlete where the support of the coach can make a big difference in a recruit’s admissions chances, our advice to prospective college tennis recruits is this: prepare for and take the SAT or the ACT, even if you think you’re likely to pursue schools that don’t require it. One reason is that we’ve encountered a number of schools that theoretically are test optional, but the coach makes it clear that they want to see a test score to be able to either get a positive “pre-read” from their admissions office, or, for those schools that have them, a likely-letter (both of which offer a high level of reassurance that with the coach’s support you’ll be admitted).
A second reason to take the SAT or ACT is that a large percentage of admitted students at top academic colleges and universities with test-optional policies do submit a test score. Percentages vary, but the number at some schools approaches 80 or even close to 90%. With percentages this high, are those schools really test-optional? An additional data point that can separate you from other students with a high GPA can often be a differentiating factor.
A third reason is a solid SAT or ACT score could help a recruit tap into more merit aid at schools that offer it. While tennis scholarships are out there, a considerable number of schools even at the Division 1 level do not offer them, or have fewer than the maximum amount allowed. Putting effort into getting a good test score could make schools more affordable. In these days of soaring tuition costs, who doesn’t want that?
Donovan Tennis Strategies
Donovan Tennis Strategies has been helping prospective college tennis players and their families navigate the recruiting process since 1997. In addition to consulting services DTS runs three College Prospects Showcases to help players get exposure to college coaches.