PROVIDENCE – Brown University has temporarily suspended its standardized test requirement for prospective students for the 2020-21 school year, citing the “continued impact” the COVID-19 pandemic is having on such students and their families across the world.
In Brown’s announcement Monday, Logan Powell, the university’s dean of admission, said that the Office of College Admission will still review SAT or ACT scores already submitted by applicants who took those tests, but those who couldn’t will “face no disadvantage in the admission process.” The ability to register for in-person testing is “significantly limited,” Powell said, and no at-home SAT testing will be offered in the fall, hence the need for Brown to make the shift.
“Our assessment of applicants has always considered the whole person, in the context of their educational environment,” Powell said. “While standardized testing is informative, it has never been determinative.”
The test-optional policy will only apply to the 2020-21 undergraduate admissions cycle, Brown said. The university will also still adhere to Ivy League policies regarding testing requirements for prospective students who plan to play varsity sports.
