Test optional colleges/universities

Who's benefiting from test-optional colleges?

The list of test optional colleges/universities: http://fairtest.org/university/optional

One of the most unpleasant roadblocks that teenagers face when getting into college is taking the ACT or SAT admissions tests.

Studies have shown that the most important factors in predicting college success aren't standardized test scores, but high school grades and the rigor of a student's high school classes. In contrast, standardized test scores are highly correlated with income.

On average, for instance, students whose parents make $150,000 a year are going to perform better on the SAT than teenagers who live in households making $100,000 and so on down the income ladder.

In the face of criticism about the relevance and fairness of the standardized tests, a large number of schools over the years have become test-optional, which generally means students can apply for admission without submitting their scores. Just this week, Bryn Mawr College, an elite women's college, became the latest school to make the ACT and SAT optional.

While more than 800 institutions are test-optional, a significant number are open-enrollment schools that allow the vast majority of applicants to attend. Many of the most selective schools in the test-optional lineup are private liberal arts colleges. A new study suggests that even though one of the main motivations that these colleges cite in adopting a test-optional policy is creating more diverse campuses by improving the admission chances of low-income and minority students, they're falling short of that target.

Andrew Belasco, CEO of College Transitions, a college consulting firm in Athens, Ga., conducted the recently published study that looked at 180 selective private schools including 32 that have test-optional policies. Overall, Belasco says, the main beneficiaries of the test-optional policy could be the private colleges themselves.

A peak into test-optional policies

When schools become test-optional, it encourages more students who might have previously considered their chances of admission to be weak, to apply. More applications can lead to higher admission rejection rates, which make schools look more selective. At the same time, the published test scores of individual colleges could rise because freshmen with lower scores never submit them.

Dueling test-optional reports

Research concluded that students who took advantage of test-optional policies and enrolled were more likely to be women, minorities, low-income and first-generation students.

The two studies, however, focused on different things. Hiss's research looked at postsecondary outcomes such as grade-point averages and graduation rates of low-income and minority students and concluded that no significant differences existed between those who submitted test scores and those who didn't.

Based on who was more likely to keep their test scores a secret, Hiss suggested that test-optional policies have improved the enrollment of underrepresented groups. Belasco, however, says results of the earlier research do not support that conclusion.

Test-optional policies and wealthy students

"Everybody is struggling with enrollment, and colleges are looking more and more for students who have the ability to pay a substantial portion of college," Bankston observed. Test-optional policies open the door to take wealthy students who would have been borderline applicants. "I think a lot of this is going on behind the scenes," he suggested.

If your child is interested in a test-optional school, you can find the complete list of these institutions at FairTest.org.

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Well Known Test Optional Colleges in Florida

Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale	Ft. Lauderdale	FL
Carlos Albizu University	Miami	FL
Daytona State College	Daytona Beach	FL
Digital Media Arts College	Boca Raton	FL
Everglades University	Fort Lauderdale	FL
Florida Memorial University 1	Miami Gardens	FL
Florida National University	Multiple Sites	FL
Florida SouthWestern State College	Fort Myers	FL
Florida State College	Jacksonville	FL
Full Sail University	Winter Park	FL
Indian River State College	Fort Pierce	FL
Jacksonville University	Jacksonville	FL
Jose Maria Vargas University	Pembroke Pines	FL
Keiser University	Fort Lauderdale	FL
Lake-Sumter State College	Leesburg	FL
Lynn University	Boca Raton	FL
Miami International University of Art and Design	Miami	FL
Miami-Dade College	Miami	FL
Northwest Florida State College	Niceville	FL
Polk State College 6	Winter Haven	FL
Ringling College of Art and Design	Sarasota	FL
Rollins Collegehttp://www.rollins.edu/	Winter Park	FL
Saint Leo University 3	Saint Leo	FL
Saint Thomas University1	Miami	FL
Schiller International University	Dunedin	FL
St. Petersburg College	St. Petersburg	FL
State College of Florida	Bradenton	FL
Stetson University	DeLand	FL
Trinity Baptist College	Jacksonville	FL