University Of Notre Dame To Extend Test-Optional Admissions Through 2024

The University of Notre Dame announced on Tuesday that it will remain test-optional through the 2024 application year. That decision adds to the ever-lengthening list of prestigious colleges and universities that are choosing to extend their suspension of requiring standardized admission tests like the ACT and SAT, a practice which accelerated dramatically during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently, Notre Dame is test-optional for the class of students entering in fall 2023, so Tuesday’s announcement means that it will continue that policy for current high school juniors. In addition, transfer applicants to Notre Dame will not be required to submit standardized test scores as part of their application for undergraduate admission during the 2024 application cycle.

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According to Notre Dame officials, one-third of the students admitted to its Class of 2026 (those entering in 2022) elected to not submit a test score with their application. That figure is not too far off from the national average suggested by a recent survey of the 2022 class of graduating high school seniors.

Niche’s latest Senior Enrollment Survey found that while three-quarters of respondents reported they took a standardized test while in high school, only 46% of those taking a test reported submitting their scores to all colleges regardless of whether it was required or not. Another 22% did not submit scores to any college.

First-generation, underrepresented minorities, and low-income students were all much less likely to have taken a standardized test and to submit their scores as part of their applications, according to that survey.

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In the the Univeristy’s announcement of the policy, Micki Kidder, Notre Dame’s vice president for undergraduate enrollment, said: “Notre Dame has long been committed to a holistic evaluation process. While test scores can provide helpful information about a student, we believe a number of factors are important, including rigor of high school coursework, intellectual curiosity and engagement both in and outside of the classroom. By remaining test-optional through the 2024 admissions cycle, we will have the opportunity to continue to study the impact of this practice while giving students the ability to choose whether or not they wish to include test information in putting forward their best and strongest application.”

The extension of the test-optional policy applies to both restrictive early action and regular decision, and for consideration for the university’s merit scholarships. Consistent with the practice in place at other test-optional schools, applicants to Notre Dame who’ve already taken the SAT or ACT, or plan to take one of the tests, may report their scores for evaluation if they choose.

The university’s announcement indicated that “the evaluation process will continue to include the student’s academic performance in high school and a review of the rigor of the curriculum pursued, along with written essays, letters of recommendation and the student’s academic and extracurricular experiences.”

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The most recent numbers from the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), a leader among groups that are critical of standardized admission tests, show that more than 1,800 accredited four-year colleges and universities have either eliminated or made optional the use of standardized tests in their admission decisions for 2023.