Test Optional Policy at UVA in Fall of 2026

[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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this thread since it is now January. How do you think we will hear about the results from the meeting this month?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

TO automatically makes their scores trash tier. No one respects TO schools admissions metrics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

TO automatically makes their scores trash tier. No one respects TO schools admissions metrics.

Yawn

[Anonymous]

TO means more applicants.

Schools below rank T20--and even some w/in will keep TO because they will get more applicants and make it appear they are more selective (lower acceptance rates due to higher number of applicants). You already see this happening with the Ivies that required scores this year (Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard) vs the schools that are still TO --Cornell, U Chicago, Duke, Princeton, Hopkins (some of which will require scores next year),

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

1400+?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

1400+?

Are you joking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

1400+?

Are you joking?

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

1400+?

Are you joking?

No

Ok, well then yes. For those of you who can’t see past the NoVa bubble, the kids who get in to UVA from my kid’s southern VA public high school (3/10 on Greatschools) are absolutely scoring well over 1400.

[Anonymous]

Any recent news/hints regarding 2026 test policy, or a January committee decision?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How the heck would we know?

+1

Honestly….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

1400+?

Yes, of course. Plenty.

For openers, RoVA includes metro Richmond, metro C'ville, Lynchburg, and Hampton Roads. And there is another STEM magnet school in Hampton Roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

1400+?

Are you joking?

No

Ok, well then yes. For those of you who can’t see past the NoVa bubble, the kids who get in to UVA from my kid’s southern VA public high school (3/10 on Greatschools) are absolutely scoring well over 1400.

My kid did. 1550 with no prep whatsoever. Also NMF. Plenty of smart kids throughout VA, not just in NOVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

TO allows UVA to be more geographically diverse within Virginia without hurting their scores.

Oh, please. Students outside of NoVa get high test scores, too.

1400+?

Are you joking?

No

Ok, well then yes. For those of you who can’t see past the NoVa bubble, the kids who get in to UVA from my kid’s southern VA public high school (3/10 on Greatschools) are absolutely scoring well over 1400.

My kid did. 1550 with no prep whatsoever. Also NMF. Plenty of smart kids throughout VA, not just in NOVA.

Northern Virginia just appears to have all the smart kids because the population is so dense.
Northern Virginia is about 10% of the acreage and 40% of the population of Virginia.
The rest of Virginia is much more spread out.

Northern virghinia also probably has most of the graduate degrees in virginia and a lot of affluent families.

So yeah it's going to look more lopsided than it actually is.