DALLAS TWP. — Citing ongoing challenges for students in accessing standardized SAT and ACT exams, Misericordia University announced it will conduct admission reviews as “test optional” for first-year students entering all academic programs this fall.
The university, along with many others across the country, made the tests optional last year after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the testing process. The planned administration of many SAT and ACT exams were cancelled last spring as the state ordered a shutdown of schools and many businesses, and even when the ban was lifted most places opened with limitations. The availability of test sites and opportunities is expected to continue to limited this year as well.
“Challenges regarding access to standardize testing have continued into 2021, and we want to continue to respond,” Misericordia Vice-President of Enrollment Management Glenn Bozinski said in a media release. “While we are still assessing whether test optional, in some form, will become a permanent policy at the university, we have seen more very strong students from the class of 2021 having the opportunity to access a Misericordia education in their chosen field, and we are excited to see those opportunities continue for the class of 2022.”
Submission of test scores will be optional, but students applying to Misericordia are still encouraged to submit scores if they have taken, or intend to take, the tests. Such scores may still be used in determining who gets academic scholarships, though the release noted “students who choose not to submit scores will still be eligible for scholarship consideration.”