Colby College is following in the footsteps of several other Maine schools and getting rid of standardized testing admissions requirements.The Waterville-based institution's dean of admissions, Matt Proto, says the decision to go "test-optional" came after the college analyzed its policies and determined that the requirement to submit scores from the SAT and ACT were likely keeping strong students from applying.
"So through those different analyses we've conducted, and different studies," he says, "we decided to move away from requiring standardized test scores for students."
The new policy means that students will no longer have to submit ACT or SAT scores as part of their Colby application.
Proto says the change in policy is also part of Colby's efforts to reach more students from under-represented backgrounds. Recent national studies have found that colleges with test-optional admissions policies tend to accept more first-generation and low-income students.
Several other colleges in Maine are already test-optional, including Bates and Bowdoin Colleges and several of the University of Maine campuses.
Originally published Sept. 24, 2018 at 2:11 p.m. ET.
