All DGN students must take the ACT in the school building to graduate. According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, over 80% of four-year colleges have committed to test-optional applications for the 2025 admission season. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois Chicago, Illinois State University, the University of Chicago, and Elmhurst University all fall into the test-optional application box. As 35% of DGN students in the class of 2023 attended an in-state college, many students are left having to rely on other aspects of their applications to make them stand out to admissions.
In 2022, Illinois passed a bill requiring all public universities and community colleges to make their admissions test-optional for Illinois residents. Illinois followed Colorado, which passed a similar bill months earlier. According to Forbes, one of the main arguments for the bill’s passage was to help students, specifically those with underprivileged backgrounds, who do not have the same testing resources as other students. Latoya Greenwood, former Illinois state representative, referred to the correlation between household income and test success when stating in her argument for the bill that lower-income students often perform worse than those given more resources.
Elmhurst University is only 12 miles from DGN. This close proximity allows students to attend the university while having the option to either live on campus or at home. Elmhurst University has been test-optional since the 2020 application season and will remain test-optional for the foreseeable future. Students who do choose the test-optional application must submit an essay describing their achievements through high school beyond just their transcript.
“The main factor was to reduce barriers for students applying to college during a timeframe in which Covid set many limitations,” Michelle Adams, Elmhurst University admissions counselor, said. “Research was performed and data was reviewed regarding the value of GPA, testing, high school curriculum, and other factors when making college admission decisions.”
Elmhurst University is not the only college that has relies on similar data when it comes to what is most valuable for admissions. Schools nationwide have found different aspects of college applications that they personally value the most when it comes to reviewing applications. Knowing what each school favors the most can help students change and cater their applications for the specific school they are applying to.
“There is plenty of evidence to indicate that test scores are often an unreliable indicator of future academic success. High school GPA and high school curriculum are the strongest indicator of college readiness” Depaul University admissions counselor Paul Kendall said.
Test-optional applications have also changed the way admissions teams look at applications. For the students who do not submit their scores, their application relies more on their overall high school performance, rather than their performance on a standardized test one Saturday morning.
“DePaul became test-optional back in 2014, so we bwere definitely an early-adopter. At this point, over 60% of DePaul applicants are test-optional,” Kendall said. “We do what is called a “holistic” review – meaning we look at the whole student, considering not only their grades and/or test scores, but any written submissions and the context surrounding their education.”
Other test-optional schools also undergo holistic reviews when looking at their applications. Many schools assure their applicants that the addition, or subtraction, of certain aspects will not largely influence their chances of admission.
“It is important to note that opting for the test-optional review will not disadvantage applicants in any way. All applications will undergo a holistic review regardless of whether test scores are provided,” UIC admissions counselor Tushunda Hill said.
Test-optional applications help students who are not the strongest test takers. There are many students who, when put under pressure or a time constraint, underperform. Their single test score may not truly reflect their achievements as a student, but when forced to submit them can greatly hurt their applications. Giving the option to submit their scores allows these students the chance to show their academic success aside from the numbers.
“I think I do much better in my classes than I do standardized tests and my test scores do not really show who I am as a student. Not having to submit my scores is really helpful because I feel like it is helping to make me stand out better in applications and making them focus on more important things like my grades and extracurriculars,” senior Kathleen Crilly said.
With test-optional applications being implemented at the majority of universities in the United States, students are left with the decision of whether they will submit their personal scores. With the use of the program CommonApp for applications, students can submit their scores to one school, and disclude their scores from the next. When deciding whether to submit their test scores, students must consider whether their scores will help them or hurt them at the particular school they are applying to.
“I researched the test averages for all the schools that I applied to. If my score fell at the average or above I made sure to submit it, and when it didn’t I wouldn’t include my scores,” senior Audrey Carlstead said. “It was really nice having the option to submit them or not because I feel like it opened my applications up to a lot more schools.”
As public universities in Illinois are required to offer a test-optional application process, and many private universities do the same, the college admissions process has changed for high-school students. Students who struggle with standardized tests or do not have the same resources as others are given the opportunity to showcase their education aside from test scores. This has helped force colleges to take a comprehensive look at all their applicants, rather than just focusing on a few numbers that define their four years of high school.