WPI will no longer consider SAT, ACT in admissions

Photo | Grant Welker Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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By Grant Welker

In 2007, Worcester Polytechnic Institute stopped requiring SAT or ACT scores in its admissions process. Now, it won't consider them at all.

WPI, which was an early adapter for its first move 14 years ago, said Monday it is going a step further in starting a so-called test-blind admissions process starting with the fall 2021 application cycle. The school said the move supports its mission of expanding access to high-quality education to science, technology, engineering and math programs for all students.

The new policy was endorsed by WPI's faculty and will start as an eight-year pilot program. WPI President Laurie Leshin said in a statement the school is among the first STEM schools to fully eliminate the consideration of standardized tests in its admissions process.

Colleges increasingly view the elimination of SAT and ACT scores in admissions as a way to broaden their applicant base.

Since going test-optional in 2007, WPI said in 2018 applications from women jumped 81% and from people of color by 156%. Its class of 2021 is the most gender diversity in its history, with female students making up 44% of the student body. At the same time, the academic quality of applicants has improved, including grade point averages for both applicants who did submit standardized test scores and those who didn't.