Test Optional Policy at UVA in Fall of 2026

[Anonymous]

All of the higher ranked state universities are test optional or test blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the higher ranked state universities are test optional or test blind.

Yeah but most Ivy+ require test scores.

UVA doesn't have to be a leader in this arena but considering how many other avenues there are for getting into UVA, it seems like UVA more than most public ivies can afford to require testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of the higher ranked state universities are test optional or test blind.

Yes, I would be surprised if they asked for test scores, especially considering how many road blocks the Trump Admin is going to give colleges. I’m sure universities want to keep their admissions criteria as open and flexible as possible. Why put yourself in a corner?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Interestingly every other large public VA school including W&M, JMU and Va Tech is remaining test optional.

UVA will take the lead, as usual. The Ivies have already done it.

They can't go test optional without sacrificing their medians

Not true with the elite public and privates. Not at all. UVA receives almost 60,000 apps a year. It's SCHEV median is a 4.4, 34 ACT and a 1470.That's not going to change because the demand for an elite public education at $160k a year compared to private at $400k (USC just passed $96k a year) is only going to increase the interest in top
publics. It's a simple analysis of supply and demand. All of the elite publics are seeing this, especially during covid when many families lost income and had to rethink the cost of higher ed. The next step would be for UVA/the Commknwealth to respond to taxpayers and reduce OOS and international from 26% to less than 8% as Cal, Texas, and N Carolina have done, but so far bills to do exactly that have never made it out of committee

Because it's economically infeasible. UVA has been one-third OOS since I went there as an OOS student the early 90s (and UNC was less than 20% OOS back then, too). It was a financial play then, and state funding has only gotten worse in the interim.

And none of the "elite publics" has gone test-required.

I guess you are not aware tgat UVA has been financialky independent if the Commonwealth for almost a decade? If gave it up to have more academic freedom. Since then the endowment has shot up Today, UVA receives onky 6% of its budget from the Commonwealth which makes it unique among publics. Going TO will have no impact on SCHEV results/GPA test scores because the demand for a reasonable alternative to privates now heading towards $100k a year will not dissipate.

12% of UVA's budget comes from the state. What are you talking about?

nope. 5.8% according to the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/how-much-state-funding-does-the-university-of-virginia-receive/2013/09/12/fb999782-1baf-11e3-82ef-a059e54c49d0_story.html#

Including the hospital? You're so stupid.

No, they are pretty spot on.

No, and you are also an idiot.

[Anonymous]

It’s finally the end of January. Any news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interestingly every other large public VA school including W&M, JMU and Va Tech is remaining test optional.

UVA will take the lead, as usual. The Ivies have already done it.

They can't go test optional without sacrificing their medians

Not true with the elite public and privates. Not at all. UVA receives almost 60,000 apps a year. It's SCHEV median is a 4.4, 34 ACT and a 1470.That's not going to change because the demand for an elite public education at $160k a year compared to private at $400k (USC just passed $96k a year) is only going to increase the interest in top
publics. It's a simple analysis of supply and demand. All of the elite publics are seeing this, especially during covid when many families lost income and had to rethink the cost of higher ed. The next step would be for UVA/the Commknwealth to respond to taxpayers and reduce OOS and international from 26% to less than 8% as Cal, Texas, and N Carolina have done, but so far bills to do exactly that have never made it out of committee

Those numbers are with about 67% reporting. If the remaining 33% are forced to report test scores, the medians will definitely change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TO was never really TO outside of the COVID years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Interestingly every other large public VA school including W&M, JMU and Va Tech is remaining test optional.

UVA will take the lead, as usual. The Ivies have already done it.

They can't go test optional without sacrificing their medians

Not true with the elite public and privates. Not at all. UVA receives almost 60,000 apps a year. It's SCHEV median is a 4.4, 34 ACT and a 1470.That's not going to change because the demand for an elite public education at $160k a year compared to private at $400k (USC just passed $96k a year) is only going to increase the interest in top
publics. It's a simple analysis of supply and demand. All of the elite publics are seeing this, especially during covid when many families lost income and had to rethink the cost of higher ed. The next step would be for UVA/the Commknwealth to respond to taxpayers and reduce OOS and international from 26% to less than 8% as Cal, Texas, and N Carolina have done, but so far bills to do exactly that have never made it out of committee

Those numbers are with about 67% reporting. If the remaining 33% are forced to report test scores, the medians will definitely change.

NP. The 25th percentile will be the data point that decreases the most. The medians may edge down slightly. The 75th percentile may change a little, but not a lot.

The 2020-2021 Common Data Set, when scores were last required, may provide some idea.

[Anonymous]

Guess we aren’t finding out in January?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guess we aren’t finding out in January?

guess not... lame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s finally the end of January. Any news?

We were there for a tour yesterday. They are now saying mid-late February is when they will announce test-optional policy. Annoying that they keep pushing this back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s finally the end of January. Any news?

We were there for a tour yesterday. They are now saying mid-late February is when they will announce test-optional policy. Annoying that they keep pushing this back.

Sounds like there are internal disputes about this.

Anyway SAT is the beginning of March so juniors will now need to assume they’re going back to test-required.

[Anonymous]

Did uva tour today and they will post info about test optional or not for fall 2026 by mid feb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did uva tour today and they will post info about test optional or not for fall 2026 by mid feb.

I suspect that will shift to early March because the next Board of Visitors meeting is March 6-7

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Watch Dean J. There’s a committee making the decision in January. They never used test scores heavily because their pool does coursework more advanced than the SAT, especially in math.

So does MIT's pool. The SAT is an important sanity check.

With high school grade inflation utterly out of control, grades have not been a good indicator of proficiency.

True but they know how grading happens in every school. Thats what they told today in in person tour.