The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) released its “Pulse on College Admission Report.” The organization surveyed more than 450 schools and are adding results daily. Beyond the promising collective results, there’s an amazing search function for results by college/university. With so many changes around in-person/online learning, test-optional admissions, and the latest announcements about required COVID vaccines for returning students, this is very timely. Here are some key findings in the report:
- 78% plan to resume all in-person classes in Fall 2021
- 84% will be either test-optional or test-blind for the Fall 2022 admission cycle
- 12% will require a COVID vaccine to return to in-person programs; 55% remain undecided
Last year, we saw a surge in test-optional admissions. As an aside, FairTest.org has been a great resource for students to find test-optional schools, and when the pandemic hit, I remember FairTest telling us that “pandemic test-optional” schools weren’t truly “test-optional.” That seems to be changing, however, as the test-optional wave gains momentum and “tenure” in the admissions landscape. As of today, FairTest reports that there are “1,440+ accredited, 4-year colleges and universities with ACT/SAT-optional testing policies for Fall 2022 admissions.” NACAC’s report has even more promising news (and clarification) for applicants:
- 61% said standardized tests are “not required but considered in admission decisions if submitted”
- 23% said test scores are “not required and not considered in admission decisions if submitted” (note – this is where that search option will come in handy – check out the schools on your list to see if/where to submit scores)
- Only 3% of schools are still mandating test scores
- Most schools (77.5%) won’t require additional materials for test-optional applicants, but some (27% combined) will ask for additional essays or letters of recommendation – again, search your schools to see specifics
Here are some more interesting results…
- AP scores will still be considered by most for course credit, placement, and admissions, and some (31%) will accept course grades as an alternative to AP scores for admission decisions
- Summer programs – 71% will be a mix of virtual and in-person, and only 2% were canceled
- Fall classes – 78% plan in-person classes this Fall as of now!
- The vast majority of schools said they’d do high school visits in-person and/or with a virtual option as a contingency; only 3.4% said they’ll only do virtual visits – that’s a huge improvement from this year where most in-person tours were not available
So, this is all very encouraging! As I’ve mentioned before, early research is KEY to writing powerful essay supplements AND fine-tuning a college list. This all reminds me of one of the very first PR campaigns I worked on. The tagline, “So many changes, it isn’t even funny,” referred to a retailer’s constant addition of new products. We’re seeing lots of CHANGE in the college admissions landscape too! I love the “Pulse” part of the title of NACAC’s report because I suspect this news will continue to evolve and shift in the coming months. So keep your eyes on the “pulse” as outlined in this report, and on the school-by-school specifics so you can put your best foot forward in YOUR application!
The full report is available here.
