BUZZ
School admits tests are ‘useful indicator of potential student success’
Columbia University is now the last Ivy League school to reinstate a standardized testing requirement after ditching it in the COVID era.
“Columbia College and Columbia Engineering will reinstate a standardized testing requirement, effective August 2027 for the 2027-2028 admission cycle,” a Friday announcement from the school states.
It added that “standardized testing is one of many elements that can demonstrate a foundation of academic excellence.”
“Through a multi-year faculty review, it was determined that test scores, among other factors, were a useful indicator of potential student success,” the college wrote, according to The Daily Caller.
Columbia adopted the test-optional policy in 2020 over “equity concerns,” according to Union-Bulletin.
The temporary measure was renewed repeatedly until 2023, when Columbia made it a permanent policy.
“At the time, college officials said the decision was ‘rooted in the belief’ that students ‘cannot be defined by any single factor,’” Union-Bulletin reported.
All eight other Ivy League schools have returned to standardized testing for admissions, with Yale announcing its decision in February, The College Fix previously reported.
Now, undergraduate applicants must include their scores from at least one of four standardized tests: SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate, according to the university Admissions Office website.
“Simply put, students with higher scores have been more likely to have higher Yale GPAs, and test scores are the single greatest predictor of a student’s performance in Yale courses in every model we have constructed,” Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions, told Yale News.
At other universities, many faculty are fed up with the test-optional policy.
Last month, University of California mathematics faculty members issued an open letter calling on the Board of Regents to reinstate standardized testing requirements for admissions due to severe math deficiencies among their students.
The letter now has over 1400 signatures.
Faculty pointed to rising math deficiencies, with reports showing a thirtyfold increase in students with math skills below high school level.
“Over the past five years, we have seen a widening divergence in mathematical preparation levels within the same classroom. This trend indicates that current admissions practices do not provide a sufficiently reliable check on mathematical readiness for STEM majors,” the letter reads.
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