(NewsNation) — Dartmouth College, one of the nation’s elite Ivy League universities, announced Monday that it will once again require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of its admissions process.
The move comes after the New Hampshire college commissioned a study by several of its faculty to examine the usefulness of the scores in determining undergraduate entry.
The researchers found the scores were predictive of high academic achievement at Dartmouth and would have helped less-advantaged students gain admission to the college.
“Our overall conclusion is that the use of SAT and ACT scores is an essential method by which
Admissions can identify applicants who will succeed at Dartmouth,” researchers wrote. “Importantly, these test scores better position Admissions to identify high-achieving less-advantaged applicants and high-achieving applicants who attend high schools for which Dartmouth has less information to interpret the transcripts.”
Dartmouth, like many other institutions of higher learning in the U.S., made the submission of SAT or ACT scores optional amid the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It is now the first Ivy League to reinstate standardized testing requirements.
The change will begin with applicants to the class of 2029, the college’s next admissions cycle.
