Dartmouth re-instates mandatory SAT/ACT...what this means for high schoolers
First written & published: February '24
We've got news on the college planning front:
Dartmouth College has released a statement (source), one that may have a serious ripple effect through college admissions:
"Informed by new research, Dartmouth will reactivate the standardized testing requirement for undergraduate admission beginning with applicants to the Class of 2029"
This is MAJOR. Typically, we see when one Ivy League school adjusts admissions policies (ex: moving to test optional in 2020), all others quickly follow suit.
And when the Ivies are in on a trend...typically the rest of the country's colleges follow them.
And that is EXACTLY what happened.
To see a general list of colleges requiring standardized testing for the class of 2025, check it out here on Spark Admissions website.
SO if you have a high schooler class of 2025, 2026, 2027 or younger...as of today, you should be prepared for colleges you are interested in to change their testing policy.
How we guide our students...and how we'd encourage you to guide your high schoolers (Class of 2025 or younger), too:
Guide your high schooler the way we guide all our high schoolers - act as if standardized testing is mandatory...and then senior fall, you can re-assess (sadly, we are not mind readers - we can't call up every Ivy Admissions department and ask them their future testing policies - they won't tell us and likely still won't know).
Taking this approach keeps all options open, while also ensuring if your high schooler ends up with schools on their final list that are test mandatory again, they're covered.
If you want early insights about this trend, our beloved partners over at Tigerway already have a full synopsis. You can read it here.
More to come as this story develops.
To your college planning success,
Jack Delehey
Founder, CollegeConsulting.us
P.S. - Have a high-performing high schooler w/ a 3.7 GPA or higher? We'll help get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges...and if we don't get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges, you don't pay us a penny. Seriously! You can learn more about our world renowned all-inclusive, start-to-finish college coaching here and to see if your family qualifies for an introductory call.
P.P.S - Our most common question is "When should we start?!" The answer is, if you truly care about giving your high schooler the best chance of college planning success, you should start NOW. 9th grade is not too early to start! 10th grade is certainly not too early to start! And 11th grade is far, far too late! (supporting data here to show just how much of an advantage you give your child by starting the process early).
