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VCU eliminates SAT requirement for high achieving students

University will retain application test component

Virginia Commonwealth University announced Tuesday it will no longer require prospective undergraduate students with a 3.3 high school grade point average or higher to submit SAT scores for consideration of admission.

Luke Schultheis, VCU vice provost of strategic enrollment management, said the decision comes after internal research showed high school GPA, rather than SAT scores, is the leading indicator of undergraduate student success.

“We looked at retention, students who are … graduating,” Schultheis said. “The one thing they had in common was a strong high school GPA. The SAT had no indication on retention.”

Schultheis said this prompted the school to look more deeply at their admissions process and reassess how they evaluate candidates. He also said the SAT is a poor metric to compare students from different backgrounds, and research also shows students with similar intelligence are likely to perform differently on the SAT.

“For example, first generation [college] students with the same GPA as someone whose parents had gone to college tend to not do as well [on the SAT],” Schultheis said.

Schultheis also said he was concerned about the upcoming changes to the SAT.

“There’s been plenty of national press about how the College Board is changing the SAT,” Schultheis said.

The changes “should give us pause,” he said.

VCU’s Engineering School and Honors College will be the only exceptions to the new policy. Both will require SAT scores from all applicants, regardless of high school GPA.

VCU joins a growing group of colleges — including Wake Forest — which have made submitting SAT scores optional for admissions because they are not believed to predict student success accurately.

But the College Board maintains the SAT does indeed accurately predict success. Kat Levin, College Board associate director of communications, said the organization stands behind its methods.

“Dozens of internal and external studies show that the SAT is a valid predictor of college success for all students,” Levin said in an email.

Among traditional non-profit four-year colleges in the United States, Levin said about 22 percent did not require or recommend SAT scores for undergraduate admission in 2013.

“It’s important to note that test-optional schools are our members and our partners,” Levin said. “We respect the decisions they make about their admissions processes and we will continue to listen to our members, evolve our programs and work to expand access to opportunity for all students.”

At the University, SAT scores remain a required component of undergraduate admission applications. Dean of Admissions Gregory Roberts said this requirement is a reliable means of comparing a wide variety students.

“The SAT is one of many components of an application; it provides a comparison regardless of where they live [or of] various levels of [high school] grade inflation,” Roberts said. “We have no plans to eliminate the SAT or move to an optional format.”

Roberts said he too feels grades are the most important factor in considering a prospective student.

“The most important part is going to be their transcript and grades,” Roberts said. “Period.”

Schultheis said he was excited about the new policy and said he anticipates positive results.

“We believe this is really going to help enrich the student body,” Schultheis said.

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