Yale Reverts to Requiring SAT/ACT Test Scores for Its Class of 2029
Yale has now enrolled more than 1,000 undergraduates who did not include scores with their applications. In each of those cases, the admissions committee felt confident that it had evidence of a student’s academic preparation from other components of the application. Our analyses have found that applicants without test scores have been less likely to be admitted; concerningly, this was especially true for applicants from lower-income backgrounds and those attending high schools with fewer college-preparatory courses.
Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Yale here.
Less than three weeks after Dartmouth reinstated its SAT/ACT requirements, Yale suspended its own test-optional experiment and officially for all applicants. However, unlike Dartmouth, Georgetown or MIT, Yale is allowing students to submit AP scores or IB scores in lieu of an ACT or an SAT score, to satisfy the testing requirement.
Is an SAT essay score of 20 out of 24 good enough for Yale ..
But if you apply with a score below a 1560 SAT or a 35 ACT, you unfortunately start out with the odds against you and have a tiny chance of getting in. There are just too many students with high SAT/ACT scores and strong applications, and you need to compete against them.
Yale College was subject-test blind this year, meaning admissions officers did not view students’ SAT Subject Test scores at all while reviewing applications. Prior to the pandemic, subject tests were recommended but not required in the application process. Quinlan said that the office was considering bringing SAT Subject Tests back into the process next year, but the College Board made the decision for them by eliminating the test altogether.
For students attending high schools with fewer resources, applications without scores can inadvertently leave admissions officers with scant evidence of their readiness for Yale. When students attending these high schools include a score with their application — even a score below Yale’s median range — they give the committee greater confidence that they are likely to achieve academic success in college. Our research strongly suggests that requiring scores of all applicants serves to benefit and not disadvantage students from under-resourced backgrounds.
Many more elites might join them. A from Opportunity Insights, a research group based at Harvard University, found that standardized test scores have more “predictive power” for academic success in college than high school grade point averages do, particularly at highly selective institutions — confirming Yale’s findings.
Yale will accept superscored SAT or ACT scores
My advice to students is to not let your scores define you: whether your scores are perfect or are below Yale’s typical range, it is other factors that make an application stand out in our pool. These include qualities like curiosity, leadership, creativity, care for others, and resourcefulness. Test scores don’t shine a light on any of those qualities. Our office is fond of the maxim “not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” I think it captures our values well.
What SAT Score Do You Need for Yale University? (2023)
Yale considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require or recommend it.
Average SAT/ACT Score For Yale: What It Takes To Get In
While high school GPA does a relatively poor job of predicting success at Yale, strong test scores on SATs, ACTs, APs and IBs do a much better job and send a much clearer signal of academic readiness. The predictive supremacy of testing holds for Freshman grades through to the end of college. Yaleâs statistical analysis also found a significant difference in college GPA for the test-submitters and non-submitters, with submitters having the clear GPA advantage at Yale.
Yale announces new test-flexible admissions policy
Yale University last week notified counselors who work with high school students that the university will no longer require applicants to complete the SAT essay or the ACT writing test.
Yale SAT Scores: Full Breakdown
For nearly a decade before the pandemic, Yale strategically employed test scores to identify the strongest candidates from low socio-economic backgrounds. Between 2013 and 2019, while requiring test scores, Yale increased the number of first-year students eligible for Pell Grants by 95%, first-generation students by 65%, and under-represented minority students by 52%. Yale remains committed to this project and has announced a series of 11 initiatives to continue to expand diversity on campus, following last summerâs Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action; testing will be a critical means of identifying outstanding students from a diverse array of backgrounds.