Swarthmore College will continue its test-optional admissions policy for up to five more years.

[Anonymous]

https://swarthmorephoenix.com/2025/11/20/swarthmore-continues-test-optional-policy-2/

Looks like any school outside top 10 and ivy leagues are reluctant to reinstate test required.

"while students who applied without scores have exhibited slightly lower first and second year GPAs on average, this gap was “not worrisome."

[Anonymous]

This school is really interested in educating kids and not just boosting its own rankings or profits or random social media reputation. It’s so refreshing to see how seriously they take their mission.

[Anonymous]

I can't blame them. Imagine the precipitous decline in average test scores.

[Anonymous]

Swarthmore is a small school, and admits ~40% (only ~200 students) without SAT/ACT scores each year. One wonders what is on the resumes of those students.


https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/institutional-effectiveness-research-assessment/SAT.pdf

[Anonymous]

The 1580+ SAT takers are still going to be in such demand.

With this test optional policy, those scores are the new hook.

[Anonymous]

Notre Dame
Swarthmore
How many more dominoes will fall before Thanksgiving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Notre Dame
Swarthmore
How many more dominoes will fall before Thanksgiving?

Did ND also extend test optional?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Notre Dame
Swarthmore
How many more dominoes will fall before Thanksgiving?

Did ND also extend test optional?

Nevermind, I see it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Notre Dame
Swarthmore
How many more dominoes will fall before Thanksgiving?

Totally agree with this. For the average excellent student, they now need to offer an SAT score to a school that no one else can give.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://swarthmorephoenix.com/2025/11/20/swarthmore-continues-test-optional-policy-2/

Looks like any school outside top 10 and ivy leagues are reluctant to reinstate test required.

"while students who applied without scores have exhibited slightly lower first and second year GPAs on average, this gap was “not worrisome."

Tell this to Duke, Yale, and Chicago. Weak compared to peer policies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Notre Dame
Swarthmore
How many more dominoes will fall before Thanksgiving?

Totally agree with this. For the average excellent student, they now need to offer an SAT score to a school that no one else can give.

What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

they are trying to hang onto more application volume as the enrollment cliff approaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This school is really interested in educating kids and not just boosting its own rankings or profits or random social media reputation. It’s so refreshing to see how seriously they take their mission.

Good for Swarthmore.

They get that a strong class needs kids from all kinds of places who worked hard and made the most of what they had. A top magnet school might average 1400 SAT. A regular public school might average 900–1000. Totally different worlds. But Swarthmore knows both can send kids who will succeed.

Their own numbers show that the SAT doesn’t tell them much more than grades, course difficulty, and the rest of the application already do. So they stay test-optional. Simple as that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:they are trying to hang onto more application volume as the enrollment cliff approaches.

This. Keep the selectivity numbers higher, by encouraging those with lower test scores to apply. Their statement says that the test optional people have weaker outcomes than those who submit test scores but that the difference isn't huge. But they don't say what share of kids they accept are test optional. It could be that they're just accepting a few kids who seem to be academic superstars grade-wise, but don't submit test scores...and nearly everyone they accept is submitting test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:they are trying to hang onto more application volume as the enrollment cliff approaches.

This. Keep the selectivity numbers higher, by encouraging those with lower test scores to apply. Their statement says that the test optional people have weaker outcomes than those who submit test scores but that the difference isn't huge. But they don't say what share of kids they accept are test optional. It could be that they're just accepting a few kids who seem to be academic superstars grade-wise, but don't submit test scores...and nearly everyone they accept is submitting test scores.

https://www.swarthmore.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/institutional-effectiveness-research-assessment/Swarthmore-CDS-2024-2025-fillable-pdf-version.pdf

~39% submitted SAT
~16% ACT