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The Ivy League and other top colleges released their admissions decisions for the class of 2024, and it's clear that the competition is fiercer than ever. Acceptance rates hit record lows as application numbers continued to skyrocket. Here are 4 CRUCIAL takeaways for students and their parents: 📈 Applications continued to surge at most Ivies, causing acceptance rates to plummet to an all-time low of 3-6%. 🎯 A new group of "Near Ivies" like Vanderbilt and Rice emerged, with selectivity rivaling the traditional Ivies. 💯 Test scores are making a COMEBACK, with many admitted students submitting scores despite test-optional policies. 💡 Successful applicants showed the "What Else? Factor" - exceptional qualities beyond just perfect grades and scores. Want to know exactly what these changes mean for your teen’s application to highly selective colleges? Click the link below to learn about the 4 Key Takeaways for Students From The 2024 Admissions Results.

In a recent commentary in EM:IP, Middleton et al. discuss the history of standardized testing in the US, the impact of test-optional policies in college admissions, and the areas in which institutions should exert caution. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gkiRP_5J #CollegeAdmissions

Texas high school students hoping for automatic admission to University of Texas Austin will need to rank in the top 5% of their class, effective with the class entering in Fall 2026. This means fewer Texas students eligible for auto admit. It also means more highly qualified students in the holistic review pool that includes: ⭐️ All Texas students outside the auto admit range 🇺🇲 All US students from outside Texas 🌍 All international applicants This automatic admission policy is why UT Austin demonstrates why students cannot take published average admissions rates at face value. There isn't a unified applicant pool with the same admissions rate. Instead, 75% of the incoming class are auto admits with a 💯 admissions rate. The remaining quarter of the class is from the much larger pool of all other applicants. The holistic review pool has a much lower admissions rate (Out of State US students - 11.8%. International students - 13.2%. Source Common Data Set) Bottom line: UT Austin is in high demand and should be considered a high reach/unlikely school for students outside auto admit criteria.

As of 2024, the SAT and ACT remain the two most used standardized tests for college admissions in the United States. While both are widely accepted by colleges and universities, they have some key differences in structure, content, and focus that students should consider when deciding which test to take. I have outlined these important key differences for you! Find them here- https://lnkd.in/gTecmuyN

Nick Lemann explains the folly of treating higher education as a scarce selective resource rather than a broader public good. Admissions tests are at the center of this exclusionary "meritocratic" philosophy. We should focus not on the narrow chokepoint of admission to highly selective colleges, but on efforts to create as much meaningful opportunity for flourishing in our vast higher education system for as many people as possible. You should all read his work! https://ow.ly/umeP50TqoQs https://ow.ly/uGEs50TqoQp

The pendulum swings back to "Test Required" for college admissions! In a significant move, Yale, Dartmouth, and Brown have reinstated their policy requiring SAT or ACT scores for admission. This shift marks a noteworthy trend in the college admissions landscape, with public universities expected to follow suit. #CollegeAdmissions #SAT #ACT #HigherEducation

Standardized testing is only one factor in admissions. But now 63% of the Ivy League returned to requiring it. Cornell now joins Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, and Harvard in requiring standardized tests. However, they ivory tower in Ithaca, NY, will remain test optional for this upcoming application cycle (for Fall 2025 enrollment). Afterwards, the new policy will be adopted by all of its colleges. That leaves just Penn, Princeton, and Columbia (which has extended test-optional indefinitely). Cornell’s argument is that 91% of its Fall 2022 students took a standardized test, but only 28% reported them. Source: https://lnkd.in/gwUCGYZ3 According to Cornell’s chart below, they claim it’s harder to make the class more diverse without students reporting their test scores. 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲? Source: https://lnkd.in/gqmP_2Y7 “𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘔𝘐𝘛, 𝘠𝘢𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳-𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦.” Source: https://lnkd.in/g8R4wsTm

Nick Lemann explains the folly of treating higher education as a scarce selective resource rather than a broader public good. Admissions tests are at the center of this exclusionary "meritocratic" philosophy. We should focus not on the narrow chokepoint of admission to highly selective colleges, but on efforts to create as much meaningful opportunity for flourishing in our vast higher education system for as many people as possible. You should all read his work! https://ow.ly/umeP50TqoQs https://ow.ly/uGEs50TqoQp

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous US colleges have permanently waived SAT and ACT requirements, igniting debate on the efficacy and equity of standardized testing. Recent studies indicate their reliability in predicting success, yet debates persist amidst affirmative action restrictions. While some universities have reinstated testing, political pressures and concerns for diversity further complicate the issue. This article navigates the complex landscape of standardized testing's role in admissions, shaping the future of higher education.