George Mason University will no longer require standardized test scores from applicants with top high school grades.
George Mason University is becoming one of the nation’s first four-year public universities to drop the SAT and other standardized tests from its admissions requirements for certain students. High school seniors with at least a 3.5 grade-point average and who are in the top 20 percent of their class won’t have to submit an SAT or ACT score with their application beginning this year, said dean of admissions Andrew Flagel.
The school, after a three-year review, concluded that SAT scores are a poor indicator of collegiate success for high-achieving high school students. Applicants who don’t have a 3.5 GPA will still be required to submit a test score. Students who want to play intercollegiate sports also must submit test scores because the
NCAA uses them to help determine eligibility.Dozens of private schools have stopped requiring applicants to take the SAT or ACT amid concerns the tests are not accurate gauges of an applicant’s potential for success.
While this would seem to advantage students who are in weak high schools, the evidence seems clear that top performers tend to succeed at the next level. It is not clear, though, how GMU will compare students with similar grades from different schools, especially those from outside the state. The main purpose of the SAT was always to provide a standardized score alllowing for such comparisons.
