The SATs are now optional for NJ colleges. This is how each school handles them
Universities across the country are no longer requiring applicants to submit standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, in their application information. A majority of schools in the Garden State have made their admission process test-optional.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities, such as Rutgers-New Brunswick, created a temporary policy that made submitting standardized test scores optional for students applying for admission in the spring and fall 2021 semesters.
Even though these policies were labeled temporary, Rutgers has not changed this new admission rule since it made the shift three years ago. The Rutgers campuses in Newark and Camden also call their admission process test-optional.
Many state schools such as William Paterson and Montclair State have followed the trend. Private schools like Seton Hall and St. Peter's University also make testing optional.
Princeton University changed its standardized test policy amid the pandemic and has extended the test-optional environment to the past three admission cycles. Princeton says on its website that it is evaluating the future of the SAT and ACT and will "continue to assess the role standardized testing should play in our admission process."
In South Jersey, schools such as Stockton, Monmouth and Rowan do not require SAT and ACT test scores.
Other schools such as Stevens Institute of Technology require test scores only in specific circumstances. The university has extended its test-optional policy until fall 2026, but accelerated pre-medicine or pre-law programs still require SAT or ACT test scores. Fairleigh Dickinson University has a similar approach, with tests required for some accelerated combined degree programs but otherwise optional.
New Jersey Institute of Technology also has a test-optional policy for undergraduates applying for the spring and fall of 2024. If you are applying to the Albert Dorman Honors College or accelerated program applicants, however, submitting scores is required.
Even though the SAT and ACT are optional, some schools in the state recommend that applicants send their scores if they are confident in the results. The College of New Jersey tells incoming students on its admissions page that even though their process is test-optional, "if applicants are interested in sharing their test scores they are still encouraged to do so."
One expert on higher education, Brian Galvin, chief academic officer at Varsity Tutors, told Forbes he recommends that applicants still try testing, because submitting an admirable score will increase their chances of admission. "Even at test-optional schools," he said, "the trend remains that students with higher test scores are admitted at higher rates than those without them."
The future of standardized testing is unclear. As of now, students can decide whether to submit their test scores or focus on other aspects of their application.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ colleges make SAT and ACT tests optional
