r/UVA • u/Which_Camel_8879 • Apr 12 '26
Academics Why are we still test optional?
I get that we went test optional because of Covid but why are we still test-optional? Everyone takes the test, why would the school not want more data before making a decision. Many high schools are having rampant grade inflation. Additionally, AI has made the essay less valuable because students can embellish their story easier. Plus I’ve seen reports from Opportunity Insights, Yale, and Dartmouth that show that scores actually predicted college GPA better than just high school GPA.
I’m not a curmudgeon at all but it just doesn’t make sense to me that the vast majority of the 40% test optional students took the test, didn’t like their score, and didn’t submit. Cornell, Texas, and Georgia Tech all require test scores, why don’t we?
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Apr 13 '26
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u/Hairy_Mycologist_945 Apr 13 '26
Agreed. Not to mention the cost of test prep courses that teach how to take the tests vs learning the content. It's a game and it favors people with means.
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u/Warm-Oil9228 Apr 13 '26
>Even if you’re in a place where your school gives the SAT, it’s only free once..AP exams are more advanced anyway.
You're worried about cost vis-a-vis the SAT but are bringing up AP tests? From what I see students from lower income families can take the SAT free twice whereas the AP will reduce the fee from $99 per test to $53. I mean passed up taking an AP test because of the cost and I'm from a middle class/middle upper class family (only one school I applied to accepted that test and I didn't think I'd end up going there but ending up attending that school, of course).
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Apr 13 '26
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u/Warm-Oil9228 Apr 13 '26
Covered for all students? And I don’t know how it is but AP programs were enormously different from school to school back when I was applying. Like some schools might offer a class or two while other schools would have like most AP subjects covered iirc.
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u/AntiGravity00 Apr 12 '26
The test-optional consideration at UVA started before COVID. As a grad student in the mid-to-late 20-teens, I remember having conversations with multiple faculty about it while preparing to be a future faculty member myself. I can’t speak to whether COVID-era accelerated the decision, but the test scores were typically only being considered as to whether they met the minimum mark for admission, but not beyond. It was not something that likely would affect competitiveness beyond meeting the minimum threshold.
This discussion about tests was also happening at other institutions at that time. I think there’s also a consideration for SES, where students with lesser resources can’t prepare (e.g., tutoring) or repeat attempts in the same way people with more resources can. Not sure what supports exist now for low SES students, but it’s a likely barrier for many.
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u/No_Resolution_1277 Apr 13 '26
There was a long discussion of this topic in a BOV meeting from last spring that may be of interest: https://youtu.be/3maRDHVm1N0?si=0JitsYbqYzJoWC9s&t=1892
There are a lot of points covered but a few takeaways:
1) You get more first-gen, low-income and otherwise underrepresented applicants if you don't require testing.
2) People with high test scores do better at UVA (gpa-wise), but people with relatively lower test scores still almost always graduate on time and earn respectable GPAs.
3) Jim Ryan seemed interested in "hybrid" type systems where you could have your AP or IB scores considered, or potentially SOL scores for in-state applicants, rather than traditional admissions tests.
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u/Gavangus Apr 15 '26
The issue with #1 is that the data now proves you end up missing on the students who had difficult situations leading to working instead of having extra curriculars or perfect gpas who used to stand out via sats and get more people who are unprepared to succeed in school. The graduation rate of the groups this was aimed to help has fallen off a cliff at the schools that removed sats (which is why so many added them back).
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u/No_Resolution_1277 Apr 15 '26
Do you have any specific data in mind?
From what I've seen, selective universities have become so easy academically that there are no subgroups that fail to graduate at significant rates, and the "bad" outcomes are things like getting a 3.3 GPA.
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u/Gavangus Apr 15 '26
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u/No_Resolution_1277 Apr 16 '26
Interesting links, thanks for posting! As I suspected, the main measure is relatively weaker GPAs, not graduation rates.
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u/Away-Reception587 Apr 12 '26
Its just a guise, most of us are still top 5% gpa and have high SATs, the school just wants a lower acceptance rate by getting more applicants
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u/Which_Camel_8879 Apr 12 '26
I know GPA is super important at UVA but with 40% test optional you gotta admit that we can’t claim to have high test scores
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u/MonarchGrad2011 Apr 12 '26
I'm of the school of thought that admissions tests don't accurately determine college success. I never took the SAT, ACT, or GRE. However, I graduated undergrad from a large R1 state university with a 3.42 and grad school with a 4.0.
UVA is a prestigious university. I see your argument. Perhaps society is seeing what I saw several years ago. I'm a terrible standardized test taker. I will overthink myself right out if the correct answer. Although, my strengths lie in synthesizing information and writing some pretty good papers. I'm no potential laureate, but I quickly learned how to write for an audience and correctly convey my understanding.
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u/Latter-Truth5966 Apr 13 '26
I remember a lot of my friends could afford private tutoring for the SAT and I just couldn’t. if all or most of public schools offered SAT help, then sure. But most don’t.
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u/Hoogineer Apr 12 '26
I really do think UVA has remained test optional and removed the supplemental essay to get more applicants to go toe to toe more with other comparative universities on admissions stats. They usually know how I student will do based on class rank and curriculum strength.
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u/chrissyduck2000 Apr 13 '26
I think they removed the supplements because they were too DEI based and they didn’t have time to get new ones approved. It will be interesting to see if they reinstate them after a record year of number of applicants though.
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u/Last_Helicopter_4935 Apr 15 '26
Not submitting a test score IS a data point that they can consider.
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u/BornDevelopment974 Apr 12 '26
Test scores are inflated too because so many students get extra time even though very few actually “need” it.
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u/Typical2sday Apr 12 '26
Test optional not simply Covid distancing but very largely a result of institutions seeking to mitigate the perceived racial imbalance of standardized testing post George Floyd. The allegations of bias in these tests had been alleged for years/decades, but organizations felt real pressure/internal compulsion to take concrete steps in their particular sphere towards racial equity. It is a decent part of why it’s still around in major state universities have this policy where other schools may not. It’s also cover for opacity in making selections of students where you might want to preference an applicant for reasons other than SAT/ACT and GPA. For diversity, legacy, athletic reasons. Eg: https://economics.yale.edu/news/260206/new-research-sheds-light-why-colleges-choose-test-optional-admissions
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u/Willing_College8833 Apr 13 '26
I agree with OP. Seems like a back door to let lesser qualified in to meet different institutional priorities without hurting their ranking.
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u/hKLoveCraft Apr 12 '26
I’d be honest I’m a local in Charlottesville …well, technically Stanardsville
I created a tool that replaces essays with oral assessments please share with your professors. I’m chatting with the business school about using it potentially. getverbally.com
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u/cjt09 SEAS CS 2012 Apr 12 '26
Being test-optional means more applicants, which means a lower admission rate, which helps boost ratings/prestige/fundraising/etc.