Update (6/8/20, 10:00 a.m.): This article has been updated to include information about the number and test score of black students admitted in the Class of 2023.
The California Institute of Technology said on Sunday that it would stop considering applicants’ ACT and SAT scoresduring the next two admissions cycles, making the Pasadena institution the most selective campus yet to adopt a test-blind policy.
Dozens of colleges have either permanently or temporarily enacted test-optional policies this spring because of disruptions caused by Covid-19. Those policies allow applicants to decide whether or not to submit ACT and SAT scores. Caltech has gone a step further: It will take test scores off the table for all applicants applying for fall 2021 and 2022.
“We are facing extraordinary times, and students’ pathways for college-application preparation have been substantially disrupted,” Jared Leadbetter, a professor of environmental microbiology and chair of the freshman admissions committee, said in a news release. “The events of the spring have impacted all prospective applicants. This is the time to show them as much support and compassion as we possibly can for matters that are entirely out of their control.”
Last week the College Board, which owns the SAT, urged colleges to “provide flexibility” to the next round of college applicants, many of whom have been unable to take the college-entrance exams during the pandemic. During a webinar with admissions officials last week, David Coleman, the College Board’s chief executive, said numerous testing locations this summer would have fewer seats because of social-distancing guidelines.
“There are pockets in key states and markets across the country where capacity is constrained,” he said, “and it is the unfortunate reality that students in the most densely populated areas hardest hit by Covid-19, such as Boston, Denver, and New York City, will face the greatest challenge in finding open seats in these initial testing windows because of scarce test centers.”
In the news release, Nikki Kāhealani Chun, Caltech’s director of undergraduate admissions, said the university is committed to access and equity: “We recognize our responsibility to amplify those values by ensuring that our programs are accessible to all qualified and interested applicants.”
Caltech has updated its first-year admissions requirements to emphasize that it will more thoroughly examine applicants’ curriculum and academic preparedness in lieu of test scores. For the Class of 2023, the university received more than 8,300 applications and admitted 6.4 percent of them, enrolling 235 students. Just six of them were black.
Those incoming students had high test sores. The middle 50 percent had a combined ACT score of 35 or 36 (out of a possible 36) and a combined SAT score between 1530 and 1570 (out of a possible 1600).
About two dozen other institutions have adopted test-blind policies at least temporarily, according to a list maintained by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
Caltech is a small college with a large stature. Its move could mark a short-term departure from its traditional requirements — or a permanent shift that might inspire other highly selective institutions to re-examine their ACT/SAT policies.
Eric Hoover writes about the challenges of getting to, and through, college. Follow him on Twitter @erichoov, or email him, at eric.hoover@chronicle.com.
