Where did your 2026 kid get in EA Test Optional?

[Anonymous]

Schools who use Test Optional say their application review really is test optional, but you know it’s not. It’s definitely affecting outcomes. Where has your kid gotten in this year TO?

[Anonymous]

Loyola Marymount

[Anonymous]

Looking at naviance reports for my school, lots of kids got into colleges EA with SAT scores below 1000. Seeing schools like Catholic University, George Mason, St Marys of Maryland, Georgetown, Indiana, Michigan St, Rutgers, Oregon St

[Anonymous]

The UMD EA acceptances thread that was started yesterday had a few TO kids who were accepted there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at naviance reports for my school, lots of kids got into colleges EA with SAT scores below 1000. Seeing schools like Catholic University, George Mason, St Marys of Maryland, Georgetown, Indiana, Michigan St, Rutgers, Oregon St

You mean they got into GMU test optional with a score below 1000, right? Because GMU is a 1360 at the 75th percentile; a 1260 at the median and the bottom 25th had a 1180, so getting in with below 1000 is unlikely. https://research.schev.edu/rdPage.aspx?enrollment&rdReport=Enrollment.B10_FreshmanProfile

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at naviance reports for my school, lots of kids got into colleges EA with SAT scores below 1000. Seeing schools like Catholic University, George Mason, St Marys of Maryland, Georgetown, Indiana, Michigan St, Rutgers, Oregon St

You mean they got into GMU test optional with a score below 1000, right? Because GMU is a 1360 at the 75th percentile; a 1260 at the median and the bottom 25th had a 1180, so getting in with below 1000 is unlikely. https://research.schev.edu/rdPage.aspx?enrollment&rdReport=Enrollment.B10_FreshmanProfile

Yes. Assuming they did not report their SAT score with their application. We have scores on file in naviance but we also told kids not to submit them unless they scored over like a 1300

[Anonymous]

My DS got into Tulane EA TO this year

[Anonymous]

Business major. Got in at these schools as test optional during EA: Penn State Smeal, Indiana Kelley, Pitt, Clemson, UMD, Virginia Tech

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools who use Test Optional say their application review really is test optional, but you know it’s not. It’s definitely affecting outcomes. Where has your kid gotten in this year TO?

I disagree with the premise. I think at least most schools that are TO are actually TO.

[Anonymous]

I had assumed TO is truly test optional only for underprivileged students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had assumed TO is truly test optional only for underprivileged students?

No, I’ve seen plenty of privileged students get in test optional. Not for STEM majors, though, or at least not as often.

[Anonymous]

Not my kid, but Tulane and Richmond.

[Anonymous]

My 3.5 wgpa kid from fcps, 8 APs, 1200 sat kid (so, remedial for this board hahah) has gotten into:

Indiana (not Kelley) JMU, Loyola Maryland (for business) UMW, Michigan State, and Xavier so far.

Deferred to RD by South Carolina.

Asked for 1st semester senior grades by Pitt, Delaware.

Given 2+2 branch campus admit to Penn State.

Rejected by CU boulder, Fordham and Tennessee (TN is not test optional)

Applied RD to College of Charleston and Syracuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had assumed TO is truly test optional only for underprivileged students?

No, I’ve seen plenty of privileged students get in test optional. Not for STEM majors, though, or at least not as often.

For those to work, they need other stuff to make up like amazing ECs. Non-STEM itself is a restriction!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had assumed TO is truly test optional only for underprivileged students?

I’m not sure why you assumed that. It’s a myth.