To test or not to test, that is the question.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced colleges and universities to adjust their admissions processes in 2020, the number of four-year schools nationwide not requiring a college admissions test like the SAT or ACT has nearly doubled.
In 2020, almost 1,100 schools did not require a test score to apply. That figure grew to just over 2,000 schools in 2024, according to statistics from The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest).
The shift was largely due to logistical difficulties with test-taking during the pandemic. While many universities originally indicated the move to test-optional would be temporary, it’s been a confusing landscape for students and families in the years since to know whether or not the changes will stay.
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In May 2020, the University of California system announced that it would eliminate the ACT or SAT as part of its college admissions process as of 2025. It was a move that some higher education experts expected others would follow.
Then, earlier this year, several elite universities including Yale, Dartmouth, Brown and the University of Texas at Austin announced that they would return to requiring an SAT or ACT score from applicants. Other highly selective schools like Columbia University and the University of Michigan announced they would remain test-optional.
Though the return to testing at some universities caused a commotion, higher education and testing experts say not to get too worked up
“Despite a media frenzy around a single Ivy League school reinstating testing requirements, ACT/SAT-optional and test-blind/score-free policies remain the ‘new normal’ in undergraduate admissions,” FairTest Executive Director Harry Feder said in a February report. “Test-optional policies continue to dominate at national universities, state flagships, and selective liberal arts colleges because they typically result in more applicants, academically stronger applicants and more diversity.”
Here in Ohio, most schools will likely stay test-optional for the time being, said Brian Stewart, president of BWS Education Consulting, which offers test preparation, tutoring and college counseling to Central Ohio students.
Meredith Graham — director of college counseling at Collegewise, a college admissions and application counseling company — said it’s likely many schools will return to requiring testing after students who went through high school during the pandemic get through college.
That hasn’t stopped many students from taking one of the tests.
Stewart — who has also authored multiple ACT, SAT, and PSAT test prep books — said standardized testing prep courses fell off during the pandemic, but he’s started to see more students enroll in them over the last year.
Some of that comes from students applying to highly selective or out-of-state universities that require a test, but Stewart said a lot of students simply want the option. Students can take the now-fully digital SAT during school hours, and both the SAT and ACT have come out with shorter, more streamlined tests.
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Is it worth taking the SAT or ACT this fall? It’s complicated, Graham said.
For the most part, she and other counselors are encouraging students to test. Even if a school doesn’t require a test score for admissions, it might need one for certain scholarships. Stewart said a test score can also help a student’s application if they don’t have the time or resources to do a lot of extracurriculars.
“It’s a really effective way for students to connect with colleges,” Stewart said.
Still, Graham has some students who’ve decided not to apply to certain colleges solely because they require a test score.
“It’s everyone’s least favorite part of college admissions, but it really does depend on the student and their individual situation,” Graham said.
Which Ohio colleges and universities require an ACT or SAT test score?
Here’s a look at the test policies for central Ohio colleges, as well as select universities across the state:
Bowling Green State University: Test-optional through fall 2025 applications
Capital University: Test-optional
Case Western Reserve University: Currently test-optional, and applicants can change their mind about this up until two weeks before the decision release date.
Central State University: Test-optional but requires an ACT/SAT score for certain academic programs
Columbus College of Art & Design: Test-optional
Columbus State Community College: Test-optional
Denison University: No-harm, test-optional admissions, meaning if a student chooses to submit test scores that do not help to strengthen their application, the test scores are ignored.
Kent State University: Test-optional
Kenyon College: Test-optional through fall 2025 applications
Miami University: Test-optional through fall 2026 applications
Ohio Dominican University: Test-optional but requires other materials in lieu of test scores for admissions including an academic letter of recommendation and an essay
Ohio State University: Test-optional through fall 2026 applications
Ohio University: Test-optional
Ohio Wesleyan University: Test-optional
Otterbein University: Test-optional but requires an ACT/SAT score for certain academic programs and scholarships
University of Akron: Test-optional
University of Cincinnati: Test-optional through fall 2025 applications
Wilberforce University: Requires an ACT/SAT score
Youngstown State University: Test-optional but requires an ACT/SAT score for certain academic programs
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
@sheridan120
