Putting more “grit” in college admissions: Going beyond test optional

Over the last 10 years or so, the test optional movement has been growing.  Currently, more than 30 percent of institutions that grant bachelor’s degrees are test optional, meaning students can choose whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their admissions applications.  We’ve worked with many institutions over the years that have made the switch, and we have learned a few things along the way:

• The next year after going test optional, about 20 percent of admits do not submit test scores for use in admission decisions.
• Average SAT/ACT scores increase for the students who want their scores included in the admissions decision, but average SAT/ACT goes down when looking at total submissions (including those not used for admissions decisions).
• Newly test-optional institutions need to pay close attention to retention when moving in this direction, as a dip in retention rates is fairly common.

It’s also very important to note that the true impact of test-optional admissions is hard to measure because some changes, such as SAT increases, could be related to other strategies or changes (alterations in aid policies, for example), and may not be completely the direct result of going test optional.

One of our partners—Temple University—recently made the transition to test-optional, along with some other interesting initiatives, and has had great results, especially with increasing ethnic diversity. (You can read a good summary here.)

Campuses can also try a variety of approaches with going test optional. Some institutions may require a test score submission for students to qualify for top merit awards but allow students to qualify for lower-level merits through GPA alone.  Others award all merit levels solely using GPA criteria.

While our econometric models can’t speak to how a move to test optional will impact demand, we are able to help institutions investigate how admitted students’ likelihood to enroll would be affected by alternate merit strategies, and the resulting impact on class size, discount rate, net tuition revenue, quality profile, and other class characteristics such as gender balance and student of color representation.

Adding noncognitive measures to assess fit and “grit” among prospective college students

More recently, there has been rising interest in using noncognitive measures in admissions.  Many institutions have long used these measures as a supplement to more traditional metrics such as test scores and grades via letters of recommendation and essays.  The Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice hosted a conference on the topic (see their website for many related resources). What’s new is the shift to solely using these qualities, such as leadership, initiative, curiosity, and “grit,” in admissions decisions.

How would an institution go about implementing such a policy to have an impact yet minimize risk?  There are two approaches that have worked well for campuses:

1) Randomly select a portion of the pool to review using a grit score, making sure to score so that the distribution across the quality groupings mirrors the historical distribution.  This allows the institution to create a controlled base year for careful analysis and future adjustments assessed on the actual yields on those quality groups defined by either test score/GPA or noncognitive score.

2) A less risky option is to run the traditional and new rating methods in parallel—making decisions and financial aid awards as you have in the past, but recording the new rating method so that it can be tested against the traditional metrics.

A word of caution: don’t underestimate the impact on operations and admission counselors’ time.

Are you considering a change or currently using noncognitive measures in admissions decisions? Join the conversation.

Have noncognitive measures become a hot topic on your campus?  Thinking about the merits of going test optional?  Who’s driving that agenda on your campus—enrollment leadership, academic leadership, someone else?

Please share your experiences with your comments, and email me if you’d like to talk more about the opportunities and challenges surrounding test-optional and noncognitive measures in admissions and financial aid.