Lasell to Forgo Testing Requirements for Admission

NEWTON, MA – Lasell College has announced it will no longer require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores for admissions consideration, beginning with the 2017 fall semester.

Administrators at Lasell said they made the decision based on research that showed high school curriculum and performance were a stronger indicator of students' success than test scores.

"The admission process has always followed a holistic approach to evaluating a student’s application, which emphasizes the scholastic record, student involvement, the essay and interview," James Tweed, assistant vice president for Enrollment Management and Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid at Lasell, said in a press release. "In fact, we have not used SAT and ACT scores for consideration of merit scholarships for quite some time."

Lasell joins more than 850 colleges and universities nationwide that have ceased evaluating SAT and ACT scores to admit students into Bachelor degree programs.

Administrators believe the 2017 school year is the optimal time to initiate the test-optional approach, given research and recent changes to the SAT format that make comparing test scores more challenging.

The test-optional change applies to all majors except education and athletic training, which require experience with standardized testing ahead of post-graduation licensure or professional certification. Students applying to one of the school's other programs still have the opportunity to submit their test scores in conjunction their applications.

"Applicants who believe their SAT or ACT scores support their candidacy for admission are welcome to submit them," Tweed said in the release.

Photo Credit: John Phelan (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons