In a September 9 press release, Notre Dame announced that it is formally reinstating test requirements for all students beginning with applicants for the 2027-2028 admissions cycle, current juniors.
Following Vanderbilt’s announcement in July that it was reinstating testing, a smaller and smaller pool of top 25 universities allows students to apply without test scores. The table below illustrates the growing momentum of the most selective colleges returning to test requirements.
Test submission had been climbing at Notre Dame before the announcement
The percentage of enrolled students who had submitted test scores was climbing at Notre Dame, following national trends. Data from the Common Data Set showed the trend:
In the most recent admissions cycle, 1419 of the 2118 enrolled first-year students, roughly 67% of students, submitted test scores. And they submitted strong scores: middle 50% SAT scores ranged from 1460-1540 and ACT scores ranged from 33-35.
Notre Dame had consistently given test-submitters an edge during its test-optional experiment
In the early days of the pandemic, particularly during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 admissions cycles, a handful of universities gave us a peek into their admissions data, particularly the rates of admission for test-submitters and non-submitters. While this kind of data soon became scarce, this archival record gives us a relative sense of the testing advantage at particular schools.
Notre Dame emerged as a school that clearly favored test-submitters, admitting students with test scores at double the rate of non-submitters. Today Notre Dame has a 9% rate of admission, as it continues to grow in popularity and selectivity. While test-submitters always had an advantage at Notre Dame, the door is now officially closing for non-submitters.
The rationale for the return to test requirements
Similar to the dozens of selective schools that have returned to test requirements, Notre Dame has come to the conclusion that test scores help the admissions office build a more academically robust class and predict academic performance at Notre Dame. As stated in its public announcement:
“Notre Dame’s decision follows a detailed review of its own admissions data across multiple cycles, which confirmed that standardized test scores provide important quantitative evidence of academic preparation and showed a strong correlation between test scores and classroom performance after students matriculate.”
And test scores can help students from less-advantaged backgrounds, particularly those whose scores may be lower than Notre Dame’s middle 50%, but relatively strong for their particular academic context.
“Students from a variety of backgrounds, including first-generation, Pell-eligible, and rural applicants, are among the populations most likely to be overlooked in the admissions process without a test requirement….The inclusion of a test score helps to ensure that students applying from schools that are less well-known to admissions officers have the same opportunity as those attending more familiar schools.”
Looking ahead
Notre Dame’s announcement that it is reinstating testing will not be the last for this admissions cycle. Who might be next among the selective universities?
- Another strong Catholic institution, Boston College actively encourages students to submit test scores and enrolls a majority of students who submit scores. Last year, 75% of admitted BC students submitted SAT and ACT scores. It is only a matter of time until BC shifts from “encourages” to “requires.”
- Similarly, Rice University recommends the submission of SAT and ACT scores. A whopping 83% of enrolled students in the most recent CDS submitted SAT or ACT scores.
- The University of Virginia, another college that prioritizes testing, recently enrolled a 60% test-submitter class. UVA could certainly move to the required camp.
- And of course, all eyes are on the UC system, with the 3,300-plus UC faculty who have demanded a return to testing requirements given the lack of academic preparation of recently admitted students. If UC flips to test-required, many state schools will follow suit.
We will continue to follow these developments and keep you apprised of changes in the testing landscape.
