Old Dominion University in Virginia is launching a two-year pilot program this fall where high-achieving high school students interested in attending the school won't have to take a standardized admission test in order to be considered for acceptance, Inside Higher Ed reported.

The school is going "test-optional" for at least two years. The new program will let those who have earned a 3.3 grade-point average in high school apply to Old Dominion University without submitting SAT or ACT scores, which have until now been required of all applicants.


Ellen Neufeldt, vice president for student engagement and enrollment services, told The Virginian-Pilot that the pilot program is intended to widen the university's applicant pool.

"We want to have the best level playing field for all our students," Neufeldt said. "We want to make sure they are successful."

She said standardized test scores are not as "strong a predictor of success in college as high school GPAs," The Virginian-Pilot reported.

The pilot program could also attract more economically diverse students.

Neufeldt said standardized test scores tend to correlate with family income.

Students from a well-to-do or affluent family, whose parents typically went to college, "are more likely to take test preparatory classes and to take the tests multiple times, increasing their chances of a higher score," The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Going test-optional is becoming a trend.

According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, more than 800 colleges and universities now admit substantial numbers of applicants without SAT or ACT scores.

Nearby colleges like Christopher Newport University, Virginia Wesleyan College and George Mason University have adopted similar policies.

Administrators at Old Dominion University will monitor the success of the test-optional students for two years before deciding whether to make the policy permanent.

"We want to be sure we're bringing motivated students to campus," Neufeldt said.