Cincinnati’s Xavier University announced Tuesday (Aug. 27) it’s allowing prospective students to submit their applications sans their SAT and or ACT scores.
More than half of all Jesuit schools have adopted a sans-free standardized test score application. If students choose to offer their test results, they are free to do so, however, Xavier faculty said they’re taking a holistic view when reviewing applicants.
“Schools are increasingly relying on other information and again, looking at students as whole individuals to make that decision,” Aaron Meis, vice president for enrollment manager and student success at Xavier University said. “As a Jesuit university, it’s very important to us that we evaluate the whole person when we’re evaluating a candidate for admission, and students increasingly value that as well.”
Meis said there isn’t one thing that determines if a student is accepted into the school or not.
“This means every piece of an application is reviewed and considered in order to make a decision. One single item does not determine the admissibility, and a test-optional policy allows students to demonstrate their abilities in other ways.”
Each year Xavier University receives 15,000 applications and Xavier accepts about 70 percent of them. Abby Kuhnell a freshman at Morehead State University in Kentucky thinks the decision is a fruitful one.
“You put these kids under so much stress and pressure to do well, and not all kids are test-takers. They’re just not,” she said.