Cornell, Drake offer alternative to ACT, SAT scores for admittance

Standardized test scores - particularly on the ACT or SAT - long have been an important part of the college application process.

But that is beginning to change on some campuses - including several in Iowa.

Des Moines-based Drake University this summer debuted a new 'test-flexible admission policy” allowing applicants for the fall 2016 semester who meet certain criteria to opt out of submitting standardized test scores. And Cornell College in Mount Vernon on Monday rolled out a similar three-year pilot program making it optional for student applicants to submit standardized test scores, which previously were required.

Other area private colleges - including Cedar Rapids' Coe College and Mount Mercy - are considering making the change, which some say takes a more holistic view of applicants and empowers motivated students who might struggle with test-taking to apply anyway.

'We want strong students from a broad range of backgrounds - regardless of their standardized scores - to know that we're interested in them and that they may be a good fit here,” Cornell College President Jonathan Brand said.

The changes come in the context of an increasingly competitive higher education landscape that offers today's college shoppers more options. In Iowa, both private and public schools are battling to attract a shrinking pool of in-state high school graduates.

'Certainly we are in a growth mode, and we want to keep that up,” said Colleen Murphy, vice president of enrollment and dean of admission at Cornell, which offers a 'one course at a time” curriculum.

'But to me,” she said, 'this is about finding those best-fit students and having a way as a national liberal arts college to reach those national markets and have something to talk about.”

More than 800 colleges nationally have moved to 'test optional” or 'test flexible,” Murphy said. Others in Iowa include Hamilton Technical College in Davenport and Kaplan University, which has locations in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Davenport.

Of that 800-plus, more than 150 are 'top-tier liberal arts colleges,” including several in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, to which Cornell belongs, like Beloit College and Colorado College.

Iowa's public universities still require ACT or SAT scores for admission.

Drake was the first traditional four-year private in Iowa to move away from that. Where applicants historically had to provide ACT or SAT scores, Drake beginning next fall will allow those who meet certain criteria - including grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher - to fulfill application requirements with an interview in place of test scores.

Cornell, for at least the next three years, will provide three application options: Prospects can complete the standard common application, which includes a requirement for ACT or SAT scores; they can fill out a Cornell-specific application requiring an essay and standardized test scores; or they can submit an alternative Cornell-specific application asking students to submit a portfolio of work and complete two short-answer essay questions in lieu of test scores.

Students who go the third route can represent themselves 'through video, photo journal, writing, art, music, or other creative content,” according to Cornell officials. Students also can use ZeeMee.com, a free web-based service that allows students to 'bring your college application to life.”

Murphy said Cornell decided to try to test-flexible application option based on national and Cornell-specific research that found students admitted with ACT or SAT scores below the optimal level can do as well or better than students with scores in the preferable range.

'It's not always a good predictor,” she said.

Research also has found eliminating test score requirements increases the number of students who consider applying - even though Cornell long has had a holistic view of applicants, considering by committee any students with low scores, Murphy said.

'If they had a test score that was low, and they showed tremendous promise, students we felt would be a good fit would have been admitted anyway,” she said. 'But lots of students look at their test scores and see we're a selective college and get concerned and so they never apply.

'That is what we really are trying to target,” Murphy said.

The average ACT score among Cornell students is 26.2. About half the student body scores between 23 and 29. But both Cornell-specific studies and national research found GPA to be the strongest predictor of collegiate success.

Dominic Papatola has an 18-year-old son at Cornell this fall and said the school's holistic approach to its applicants - along with its one-course-at-a-time approach - is part of what attracted them from Minnesota.

'From what I'm learning about the vibe of the school and the way they approach putting the student body together, this seems totally consistent with what they are about,” Papatola said.

His son, Nicky Papatola, actually takes tests well, so he's glad the scores still can be relevant for kids who might benefit from them.

'But this is a high-stakes thing for parents and kids, and making a big part of the college decision depend on one day in his life can be very daunting,” Papatola said. 'I think making that optional will be a good thing for a lot of families.”

Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids still requires standardized test scores from its applications, but officials said they're discussing becoming 'test optional.” Last year, the institution changed its scholarship model to require GPA or test score qualification - rather than both.

'Some students are not great test takers, and we know that, and GPA is a better reflector of if they will succeed in college,” said Terri Crumley, dean of admissions for Mount Mercy.

Still, ACT or SAT scores are a nice piece of information to have in rounding out a complete picture of any applicant, according to Crumley. And Coe College officials agree.

They too have had discussion about going test-optional but already pride themselves on taking an individualistic approach to admission.

'Every person has a story, and it is our job to understand what it is and if we can be of help to them in their educational pursuits,” according to Julie Staker, associate vice president and dean of admission at Coe.

'If you approach admission consideration in a thoughtful manner, where the test scores are only part of the picture and understanding the whole student is the end goal, then the need to remove the ACT or SAT from consideration does not seem as critical,” she said.