Kalamazoo College will no longer require students to provide their ACT or SAT scores when they apply.
Instead, admissions officials will look more closely at the classes applicants took in high school, and their GPA.
Dean of Admission Eric Staab cited the correlation between applicants' economic background and their SAT or ACT scores as one of the reasons for the college's decision. Students from wealthier families generally perform better on standardized tests, so the faculty felt it was unfair to consider that in the admission process.
"We felt that that was disadvantaging students from a lower socioeconomic background if we were going to be using SAT and ACT scores not only for determining admissions, but any kind of influence on a student's financial aid package," Staab explained.
Unlike the ACT or SAT, Staab said a student's GPA is a good predictor of their future academic success.
"Four years of a high school transcript is a much better indicator of academic preparation than four hours on a Saturday when they take the test," he said.
The new policy will go into effect for entering freshmen in the fall of 2016. Kalamazoo is joining more than 800 colleges nation wide that don't require the SAT or ACT anymore.
--Paige Pfleger, Michigan Radio Newsroom
