Notre Dame reaffirms test-optional admissions policy as top-10 universities reimplement requirement

[Anonymous]

https://www.ndsmcobserver.com/article/2025/11/notre-dame-remains-test-optional-adds-video-portion-of-application

There is somehting unique about midwest schools, Chicago, NU, and ND. Are these schools going to stay test optional for a longer period of time or possibly permanently?

This may be overlooked by many, but the article says about 30% of their REA admits did not submit scores. Notre Dame is a solid viable option for test optional kids.

[Anonymous]

Why not? If most of their applicants are taking AP Lang/Lit and AP Calc, why would they need the SAT?

[Anonymous]

I think stating test optional is a ploy to drive up the number of applicants to collect fees and bring down the “selectivity” number.

When you require scores you become more selective, but the admissions selectivity number goes down because you only get Applicants with competitive scores.

Outside the top 15-20 with looming population cliff it will be necessary for schools much lower caliber than ND to stay afloat.

[Anonymous]

Is ND more "woke" than we thought?

[Anonymous]

684 enrolled freshman submitted an SAT score
541 enrolled freshman submitted an ACT score

2,082 freshman

32% submitted an SAT score
26% submitted an ACT score

Accounting for overlap, less than half submit a standardized test score.

[Anonymous]

Why so much breathless reporting on ND this week?

[Anonymous]

Classic as more rigorous actual top schools require test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]I think stating test optional is a ploy to drive up the number of applicants to collect fees and bring down the “selectivity” number.

When you require scores you become more selective, but the admissions selectivity number goes down because you only get Applicants with competitive scores. [/b]

Outside the top 15-20 with looming population cliff it will be necessary for schools much lower caliber than ND to stay afloat.

Correct!

[Anonymous]

The East and West Coast schools will always have an enormous supply of wealthy East and West coasters who want to stay on the coast. Boring Indiana and freezing Chicago will never have the same appeal.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if it’s the case that Midwest high schools don’t inflate GPA, so that the Midwest kids’ GPA actually predicts college success better. They admit a lot Midwest kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not? If most of their applicants are taking AP Lang/Lit and AP Calc, why would they need the SAT?

Agreed. And with the new AP Precalc exam, you can get AP scores in all four core subjects from kids taking a bog-standard college prep junior year schedule of AP Lang, APUSH, AP Physics 1, and AP Precalc. It’s a hair’s breadth away from being A Levels.

[Anonymous]

Precalc as an AP level class is an oxymoron.

[Anonymous]

Maybe because Notre Dame draws from such a large Catholic population they could do this. They probably have a long history with parochial schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it’s the case that Midwest high schools don’t inflate GPA, so that the Midwest kids’ GPA actually predicts college success better. They admit a lot Midwest kids.

Only 35% are from the midwest.

[Anonymous]

ND is basically a liberal arts college.