Colorado College Drops SAT Requirement to ‘Increase the Diversity’ of Student Body

Colorado College announced last week that they will be dropping the SAT and ACT tests from its list of requirements for admission, to “increase the diversity of its student body.”

According to a press release, Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be dropping their standardized testing requirement. Prior to the change, all students were required to submit an SAT or ACT score in order to qualify for admission. Now, students will be permitted to apply with just their high school transcript.

Colorado College claims that the decision to make SAT and ACT scores optional will “increase the diversity of its student body.”

Colorado College Assistant Professor of Psychology Kevin Holmes claims that standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are not perfect indicators of how students will perform in college. “Standardized test scores do not always reflect the academic potential of students from disadvantaged backgrounds,” Holmes said. “The new test-optional policy removes a barrier to admission for these students.”

Mark Hatch, Colorado College’s vice president for enrollment reminded critics that standardized test scores are only one factor in the holistic review process that determines whether or not a candidate is admitted. “Test scores are only one of many criteria that are considered in an applicant’s academic portfolio,” Hatch said.

The decision to make the SAT optional at Colorado College is just one of many decisions in a larger trend against challenging stressed-out students. Breitbart News reported in November 2016 on a Yale professor that decided to make a midterm exam optional for students that were upset over Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

In April 2019, Breitbart News reported that one version of the SAT test asked students to answer questions about a column penned by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The College Board, the organization responsible for writing the SAT test, claimed that students had previously been asked to analyze writings by President Ronald Reagan, Senator Ted Cruz, and Representative Darrell Issa.