Making Sense of SAT and ACT Score Requirements at Main Line Area Colleges

While many local colleges and universities have waved goodbye to standardized testing scores, others have placed renewed emphasis on the ACT and SAT.

SAT — Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

So much for test anxiety. Many of our region’s higher education institutions—including West Chester, Villanova, Temple and Immaculata universities—no longer require applicants to submit SAT and ACT scores. And that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon. “Immaculata became test optional after noticing that some students excelled in the classroom but underperformed on standardized tests,” says Alexa Milano, director of undergraduate admissions at the university, where 92% of prospective students in 2023 went scoreless (though they’re still required for certain scholarships).

As colleges look to level the playing field in the admissions process, most are favoring a more holistic approach. Temple University has been test-optional since 2015, but it’s not uniformly discouraged. “Our counselors work with students in their territories to do what’s best for them,” says Temple spokesperson Rachel Gionta.

In their efforts to give students every advantage in a competitive admissions process, most local high schools aren’t letting kids off the hook that easily. At Malvern’s Villa Maria Academy High School, everyone sits for the tests. The Haverford School is keeping a finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving college admissions process, encouraging students to take a standardized test, whether it’s the SAT, the ACT or both. “We see how quickly things can change, and our goal is to ensure that our students are well prepared and have every opportunity available to them in the admissions process,” says Damian Long, Haverford’s director of college counseling.

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Jennifer Kratsa, a counselor at Conestoga High School, echoed that sentiment. “We want to open doors for our kids, and having a test score could do that,” she says.

After putting a hold on requiring test scores during the pandemic, Harvard University will be reinstating its standardized testing requirement starting with the Class of 2029. It will be interesting to see if more academically rigorous local institutions will follow suit.