University Makes Test Scores Optional for Admission

Montclair State became the first public university in New Jersey to adopt an SAT/ACT test-optional policy for all applicants seeking undergraduate admission. The policy is in effect for the fall 2015 entering freshman class, who are no longer required to submit SAT and ACT scores. The scores will be considered should a student choose to submit them.

Each year, the University admits approximately 3,000 freshmen from a pool of well over 11,000 applicants. “Our goal is to ensure that the students selected for admission are capable of succeeding in our rigorous academic programs,” says Montclair State President Susan A. Cole.

After a decade-long review of how its admission criteria track with student retention, academic success and graduation rates, University administrators concluded that the most powerful predictor of student success is high school performance. Montclair State’s newly revised admissions protocol will focus primarily on the high school GPA – which is three times as powerful a predictor of success as the SAT – and the rigor of courses taken.

In giving students the option of not submitting SAT and ACT scores, Montclair State joins more than 800 of the nation’s leading colleges and universities – or about 30 percent of the schools that grant baccalaureate degrees – including Temple University, Wake Forest University, Wesleyan University, University of Arizona and George Mason University.