Dartmouth said that the absence of SAT scores made it miss crucial data points to evaluate applicants fully|Marco Verch|CC BY 2.0
Dartmouth College is reinstating SAT or ACT scores as a requirement for prospective students applying for the next admission cycle, the school announced yesterday, becoming the first Ivy League institution to reverse its pandemic-era test-optional policy.
Why?
The decision is based on new research—by Dartmouth and Brown University—indicating that standardized test scores are better predictors of first-year college performance than high school grades.
Dartmouth said that the absence of SAT scores made it miss crucial data points to evaluate applicants fully.
The research also found that test scores were particularly valuable for predicting college success, even among students with similar backgrounds and grades.
Dartmouth’s move contrasts with the trend of colleges going test-optional during the pandemic. We’ll have to wait and see if more universities will follow suit.
In 2022, said it would reinstate requiring test scores.
In other Dartmouth news
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled yesterday that the Dartmouth men’s basketball team can hold a union election, which would classify athletes as employees of the school. The statement came after all 15 members of the college basketball team filed a petition.
Dartmouth plans to appeal the ruling, asserting that its athletes are not employees. If players unionize, they could potentially negotiate with the school over compensation and working conditions.
The NLRB is also in the process of determining the employment status of football and basketball players at the University of Southern California.