Yale University has announced that it will require standardized test scores for applicants in the class of 2029, reversing a pandemic-era policy that had been in place for nearly four years. This decision makes Yale the second Ivy League school to drop test-optional policies, following Dartmouth's similar announcement two weeks earlier. The university stated that the shift to test-optional policies during the pandemic inadvertently harmed students from lower-income families, as they often chose not to submit scores that could have helped their chances of admission. Yale emphasized that standardized test scores are the single greatest predictor of a student's future grades at the university, citing data from before and after the pandemic.
While the policy change signals a return to requiring standardized test scores, Yale's new policy will be "test flexible," allowing applicants to submit scores from subject-based Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests in place of SAT or ACT scores. The university highlighted that standardized testing can help showcase an applicant's academic strengths and contribute to diversity in the classroom. Yale also acknowledged that reviewing applications without test scores had some positive aspects but ultimately disadvantaged students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who lacked access to enrichment opportunities and rigorous high school courses.
The decision to reinstate standardized test score requirements comes after a study commissioned by Dartmouth College found that standardized test scores, when evaluated alongside high school grades, were the most reliable indicators of success in college. Other elite schools, such as MIT and Georgetown, had also dropped their test-optional policies in recent years, citing the need for transparency and equity in admissions expectations. Yale's new policy will take effect for first-year applicants beginning in the fall of 2025, with the option to submit AP or IB scores in place of SAT or ACT scores. The university emphasized that an application is like a jigsaw puzzle, and test scores are an essential piece in assessing a student's academic preparedness for college.
