Miami University announced Thursday, April 1 that it has extended its test-optional policy to the fall 2022 and spring 2023 admission seasons in response to equity issues brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We recognize changes to test availability and testing environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic leave many students with inequitable access to standardized tests.” the Miami University website states. “The scope of the pandemic’s impact is yet to be determined, and academic performance (GPA and the rigor of a student’s curriculum) is the strongest predictor of success.”
The test-optional policy means students are not required to submit test scores for the SAT and/or ACT when applying for admission. Merit scholarships and honors selection will be considered on a test-optional basis as well.
Students may still submit scores if they want to. Miami stresses, though, that “If provided, test scores can only help your candidacy for admission, scholarships, and honors programs,” according to its website.
Miami officials said the university’s holistic approach to reviewing applications enabled a smooth transition in testing requirements, as little needed to be done to alter how the university admits its students.
“A test score has never been the only factor Miami’s admission committee considers in application evaluation, and it certainly isn’t the most important factor,” said Bethany Perkins, director of the Office of Admissions at Miami, in a press release from the university. “There are much better predictors of college success such as the strength of a student’s curriculum and achievements in high school courses.”
The release notes that the university’s fall 2021 class, the first class at Miami to be admitted through a test-optional application, is “the most academically accomplished in Miami’s history, meeting or exceeding all academic measures of applicants compared to the previous year and holding an average GPA of 3.93.”
The number of applicants received by the university also rose, increasing by about 10% from the year before.
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