Test Optional Policy at UVA in Fall of 2026

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dd went test optional with perfect grades, top of class, strong essays...and she was rejected OOS.

They got the same result as almost all OOS applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

It also became helpful for legacy students and donor kids with low scores. Not speaking about UVA but in general.

[Anonymous]

There are fewer test centers, so accessibility may be an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

It also became helpful for legacy students and donor kids with low scores. Not speaking about UVA but in general.

Then Youngkin’s BOV buddies aren’t the ones holding it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

It also became helpful for legacy students and donor kids with low scores. Not speaking about UVA but in general.

Then Youngkin’s BOV buddies aren’t the ones holding it up.

That’s why it’s a tough decision for them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

Good lord. Test optional has existed since at least the 1960s. Bowdoin is credited as the first school to employ it. Many schools have had it in place for decades. COVID pushed other schools to adopt it, and now some are moving back to test-required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

Good lord. Test optional has existed since at least the 1960s. Bowdoin is credited as the first school to employ it. Many schools have had it in place for decades. COVID pushed other schools to adopt it, and now some are moving back to test-required.

Right, many schools have been TO for decades, but not a ton of highly selective ones, and not UVA until COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

It also became helpful for legacy students and donor kids with low scores. Not speaking about UVA but in general.

Then Youngkin’s BOV buddies aren’t the ones holding it up.

Eh. Youngkin and friends know the mega-wealthy and connected will get in, regardless of test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

Good lord. Test optional has existed since at least the 1960s. Bowdoin is credited as the first school to employ it. Many schools have had it in place for decades. COVID pushed other schools to adopt it, and now some are moving back to test-required.

Right, many schools have been TO for decades, but not a ton of highly selective ones, and not UVA until COVID.

Plenty of highly selective schools were TO before COVID (e.g. Bowdoin, Bates, Wesleyan). But, yes, not UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

Good lord. Test optional has existed since at least the 1960s. Bowdoin is credited as the first school to employ it. Many schools have had it in place for decades. COVID pushed other schools to adopt it, and now some are moving back to test-required.

Right, many schools have been TO for decades, but not a ton of highly selective ones, and not UVA until COVID.

Plenty of highly selective schools were TO before COVID (e.g. Bowdoin, Bates, Wesleyan). But, yes, not UVA.

No large state schools with huge numbers of applicants were test optional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

It also became helpful for legacy students and donor kids with low scores. Not speaking about UVA but in general.

Then Youngkin’s BOV buddies aren’t the ones holding it up.

Eh. Youngkin and friends know the mega-wealthy and connected will get in, regardless of test scores.

Sure, but I don’t think they’re necessarily representing their own self-interests per se, as they are the ones of UMC/wealthy conservatives throughout the state. They can’t all get in via the Advancement office without raising a few eyebrows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Test optional in these times is really embarrassing. It is time we stop the madness and accept that Test Optional is the worst thing born from DEI.

I thought test optional was born of COVID, no?

NP. It was, but then became helpful for recruiting URMs to apply in the wake of SFFA.

Good lord. Test optional has existed since at least the 1960s. Bowdoin is credited as the first school to employ it. Many schools have had it in place for decades. COVID pushed other schools to adopt it, and now some are moving back to test-required.

Right, many schools have been TO for decades, but not a ton of highly selective ones, and not UVA until COVID.

Plenty of highly selective schools were TO before COVID (e.g. Bowdoin, Bates, Wesleyan). But, yes, not UVA.

Not most T50 universities, no - if I recall, among T50s, only UChicago and Wake Forest were TO before COVID - apologies if I missed a couple, but we're still talking almost all T50s, probably almost all T100s.

LACs are a different kettle of fish - much smaller numbers of apps to comb through for making TO decisions.

[Anonymous]

Please stop with the URM BS. If 50% of the kids at Vandy were TO, you know darn good and well that most of them were white. This isn't 1980's admissions with paper applications. Colleges have so much more data on applicants and their high schools. A test score is only one metric.