Spring Has Sprung: A Record Breaking Admissions Season for the Class of 2025

Photo: Squarespace

It would be an understatement to say that the college admissions season for the 2020-2021 school year was abnormal. With almost all universities going test optional or test flexible this year due to COVID-19 circumstances, a great overall increase in applications was demonstrated across the board.

In previous years, standardized testing had been weighted more heavily in admission committees’ assessments of applicants, with most highly selective schools having an average SAT of 1450-1550 and respective ACT average of 33-35. With the class of 2021 being significantly impacted during both junior and senior years by COVID-19, many students were unable to locate available testing centers. These unprecedented times ultimately led to the response of several universities: standardized tests, including the SAT/ACT and SAT subject tests, would no longer be required as a component for the application.

As the college admission season has reached the spring, the data and statistics recently gathered have followed a common pattern in that in adapting to test optional policies, schools witnessed a shocking surge in application numbers. According to College Kickstart, USC received a record number of almost 71,000 applications, resulting in a 12% overall acceptance rate. Applications went up by 20% for Washington University in St. Louis, admitting 13% to the Class of 2025. Boston University had a record breaking pool of 76,000, accepting only 18.9% of applicants (College Kickstart).

“Heavy testing” schools in past seasons like Johns Hopkins University and MIT saw their lowest admit rates ever, 5% and 4% respectively. It seems axiomatic that these universities gained significantly more applications due to the influence of their test optional policies, drawing a wider array of applicants than in previous test-requiring years.

With Ivy League decisions being released this Tuesday, the 6th, many students from the Class of 2025 eagerly await their admissions results. Based on the pattern of other test optional universities, the Ivys will most likely follow suit, further opening up the discussion of the added value, importance, and equity of standardized testing for future years.