by Dartmouth College announced this morning that it would again require applicants to submit standardized test scores starting next year. It’s a significant development because other selective colleges are now deciding whether to do it or not. In today’s newsletter I will tell you the story behind Dartmouth’s decision.
Train future leaders
Last summer, Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist who had previously directed Barnard College in New York, became president of Dartmouth. After arriving, he asked some Dartmouth professors to do an internal study on standardized testing. Like many other colleges during the Covid pandemic, Dartmouth waived the requirement that applicants submit an SAT or ACT score. Once the pandemic ended and students were able to take the exams again, Dartmouth’s admissions team was thinking about reinstating the requirement. Beilock wanted to know what the evidence showed.
“Our business is about analyzing data and research and understanding the implications of it,” he told me.
Then three Dartmouth economists and a sociologist dug into the numbers. One of their main findings didn’t surprise them: Test scores were a better predictor than high school grades (or student essays and teacher recommendations) of how well students would do at Dartmouth. . The evidence for this relationship is large and growing, as I explained in a recent Times article.
A second finding was more surprising. During the pandemic, Dartmouth switched to a test-optional policy, in which applicants could choose whether to submit their SAT and ACT scores. And this policy was specifically harming low-income applicants.
The researchers were able to analyze test scores even for students who had not taken them to Dartmouth. (Colleges can see scores after the admissions process is complete.) It turned out that many low-income students had made a strategic mistake.
They withheld test scores that would have helped them get into Dartmouth. They mistakenly believed that their scores were too low, when in fact the admissions office would have judged that the scores were a sign that the students had overcome a difficult environment and could thrive at Dartmouth.
As the four professors (Elizabeth Cascio, Bruce Sacerdote, Doug Staiger and Michele Tine) wrote in a memo, referring to the SAT’s 1,600-point scale: “There are hundreds of underprivileged applicants with scores in the 1,400 range who should submit scores to identify themselves at admissions, but not under test-optional policies.” Some of these applicants were rejected because the admissions office could not trust their academic qualifications. The students probably would have been accepted if they had submitted their test scores, Lee Coffin, Dartmouth’s dean of admissions, told me.
That finding, like any other, led to Dartmouth’s announcement this morning. “Our goal at Dartmouth is academic excellence in the service of developing the broadest group of future leaders,” Beilock told me. “The data convinces me that this will help us achieve this.”
A crucial part of this story is worth acknowledging. Dartmouth admits disadvantaged students who have lower average scores than privileged students. The university makes no apologies for that. Students from poor neighborhoods or struggling high schools have been running with the wind in their faces. They don’t compete fairly with wealthy teenagers.
“We are looking for children who stand out in their environment. We know that society is unequal,” Beilock said. “We believe that children who excel in their environment are a good bet to excel at Dartmouth and in the world.” The admissions office will judge an applicant’s background in part by comparing her test score to the distribution of scores across the applicant’s high schools, Coffin said. In some cases, even an SAT score well below 1400 can help with an application.
Questions and answers
In our conversations, I asked Beilock and his colleagues about several common criticisms of standardized testing, and they said they did not find them persuasive.
For example, many critics on the political left argue that the tests are racially or economically biased, but Beilock said the evidence does not support those claims. “Research suggests that this tool is useful for finding students we might otherwise miss,” she said.
I also asked him if he was concerned that conservative critics of affirmative action might use the test results to accuse Dartmouth of violating the recent Supreme Court ruling banning racially motivated admissions. She was not. Dartmouth can legally admit a diverse class while still using test scores as part of its comprehensive admissions process, she said. I have heard similar sentiments from leaders at other universities that have reinstated the testing requirement, including georgetown and M.I.T.
And I asked Beilock and his colleagues if fewer students might now apply to Dartmouth. Coffin, the dean of admissions, responded that that outcome might be fine. He noted that the test-optional policy since 2020 had not led to a more diverse pool of applicants and that Dartmouth already received more than enough applications: 31,000 this year, for 1,200 freshman spots. “I don’t think volume is the holy grail,” he said.
Finally, I asked Beilock if she was satisfied with Dartmouth’s level of economic diversity, which is slightly below that of most similar elite colleges. She said no. “We have aspirations to bring it out,” she said. She believes reinstating the testing requirement can help Dartmouth achieve this.
For more: Compare economic diversity at hundreds of colleges through our College Access Index.
THE LATEST NEWS
Weather in California
SPORTS
NBA: Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will submit Corrective surgery on his left knee.
NFL: Kliff Kingsbury is the new offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, a eye-catching rental.
Soccer: MetLife Stadium, on the outskirts of New York, will host the 2026 World Cup final. FIFA announced. Dallas will host the most games.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Women win: It was a great night for women at the Grammys. taylor Swift won her fourth album of the year award, breaking the record for the category. Billie Eilish won song of the year, Miley Cyrus won record of the year and Victoria Monét was named best new artist. Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell performed. This is what happened:
