{
  "id": 9055398,
  "title": "Here’s what happens when colleges make the SAT optional",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/heres-what-happens-when-colleges-make-the-sat-optional",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T01:28:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Chalkbeat",
    "slug": "chalkbeat",
    "url": "https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/22/sat-act-research-on-test-optional-college-admissions/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The debate over SAT testing in college admissions has been ongoing, with the University of California recently making the test optional amid concerns that it limits opportunities for disadvantaged students. However, some professors and others argue that external testing is necessary to maintain academic standards. Supporters of the SAT and ACT contend that the tests help admit strong students from low-income communities. The majority of colleges still remain test-optional, but some elite Ivy League schools have reinstated testing requirements. Two detailed studies found that test-optional admissions generally result in a small increase in the proportion of lower-income students and Black and Hispanic students admitted to selective colleges. These modest effects make sense, as test scores are more closely correlated with family background than high school GPA. However, researchers found that during the pandemic, some lower-income students with decent SAT scores opted not to submit them, potentially hurting their chances of admission. Dartmouth College's experience in adopting test-optional admissions in 2020 showed that many lower-income students with decent SAT scores chose not to submit them, leading to a potential disadvantage as admissions officers may have judged their scores more generously. Reinstating testing requirements at elite schools, like Dartmouth, may not help lower-income students who may struggle more in rigorous courses. While test scores predict college performance, particularly at selective schools, modest changes in who is admitted through test-optional policies are unlikely to cause significant issues with student readiness.",
  "summary": "Chalkbeat Ideas is a section featuring reported columns on the big ideas and debates shaping American schools. Debating the value of the SAT is something of an American pastime. The latest kerfuffle is happening at the University of California, a massive system that no longer considers test scores in college admissions after critics raised…",
  "key_points": [
    "SAT optional policies increase lower-income and minority student admissions",
    "Pandemic led some lower-income students with good SAT scores to skip testing",
    "Reinstating testing at elite schools may not benefit low-income students"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Making the SAT optional generally increases the proportion of lower-income and minority students admitted to selective colleges, but may also inadvertently hurt some lower-income students who choose not to submit their scores.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}