Establishing Fair Criteria for College Admissions Tests Our Intelligence

By Miriam Schulman

An old teacher of mine used to claim he graded our papers by throwing them all up the stairs and giving A's to the ones that landed on the top step. Now, there was a case of someone treating every student equally.

Although this example is obvious reductio ad absurdum, it serves to demonstrate an important point: Equal is not necessarily fair. That principle is worth reiterating in any discussion of affirmative action in college admissions, which often boils down to a controversy over fairness. While people may argue that everyone should be treated exactly the same, the truth is that we all favor some sorts of criteria. The ethical trick is to make those criteria morally relevant.

If you think this is an easy matter, consider legacy admissions young people who get into a school because their parents are alums. According to a report from U.C.-Berkeley's Institute for the Study of Social Change issued in 1991, more legacy students were admitted to 10 of the country's most elite institutions than the combined number of all African Americans and Chicanos admitted under affirmative action programs.

Many people defend legacy admissions as acceptable because they help to ensure the financial continuity of the institution, without which no one would be able to enter the university. But such a rationale can be a slippery slope. Indeed, the hypocrisy tweakers had a field day recently when the Los Angeles Times reported that several of the U.C. regents who had voted to abolish affirmative action had themselves pulled strings to get relatives, friends, and the children of business associates into UCLA.

Morally Relevant CriteriaMy point here is not so much to challenge the moral relevance of this particular preference, but to point out that race is only one among many possible attributes we might take into account in admission decisions. If, ultimately, we want to disallow it as a basis for preference, we should be prepared to justify why it is any less worthy than other characteristics we do consider.

One justifiable criterion might be ability: May the best man or woman win. While there may be general agreement on the relevance of this determinant, there is much less agreement on a fair way to measure it. On the surface, it might seem logical that the people with the best grades and scores should get the college slots. Indeed, this argument is at the heart of several cases, such as Bakke vs. Regents of the University of California, which have challenged affirmative action in the courts.

Although we might conclude that grades and scores are the most objective criteria we can come up with to assess ability, there are more than a few reasons to question our moral certainty about the justice of this system. First, standards of grading vary enormously from school to school; an A from one might be a C from another. Such variability was behind the creation of standardized tests like the SATs, which were supposed to provide a single measure for students across the country.

But these tests have been accused repeatedly of bias against minorities. In 1990, a national commission sponsored by the Ford Foundation found that the differences in test scores between minority and majority test takers were typically larger than the differences in their grades or job ratings. "We must stop pretending that any single standard test can illuminate equally well the talents and help promote the learning of people from dramatically different backgrounds," their report concluded.

Flutists and Football PlayersWhile academic ability is hard to measure fairly, most people still want to include that factor in college admissions. But it is not, by far, the only characteristic that might be considered. A long-established criterion has been diversity. By this, I don't mean only the relatively new argument that student bodies should reflect the multiethnic society from which they are drawn; I mean the old practice of creating a freshman class that has a much-needed linebacker, a new first flute for the university orchestra, and a high-school senior-class president who may go on to a leadership position in college student government.

Athletic prowess, musical talent, and unusual community service have all been defended as morally acceptable considerations for college admissions because they add to the well-roundedness of the student body. If these attributes can be considered relevant to admissions, why not race?

Of course, there is nothing inherently edifying about attending school with people who have different physical attributes. Introducing more redheads into a student population would bring about no discernible benefit. But, in this country, having a different skin color means having a different life experience. Bringing that difference into the mix at our universities can greatly enhance the quality of the dialogue that goes on there.

On the larger stage, our society is enriched by the many different backgrounds and traditions of its members. For example, as a woman, I know I benefit from the increasing numbers of female health practitioners, who have brought women's health issues such as breast cancer to the fore-front of national consciousness. It does not surprise or even anger me that male doctors did not pursue these issues more forcefully — they lie outside menÕs personal experience — but I do want my experience to be represented.

Similarly, I have to confront the needs and perspectives of other members of my community, which I might ignore, however unwittingly, were they not represented in our universities and in the larger public discussion.

Test Optional

Santa Clara University is extending its “test-optional” policy for first-year and transfer students until 2024. Scores on the SAT or ACT are not required for students applying to Santa Clara University for the 2024 term. As a test-optional university, students still have the option to submit any standardized test score results they’ve received. A student who chooses not to submit standardized test scores will be at no disadvantage in our admission or merit scholarship review processes.

For the 2023 application cycle:

Where does an applicant select having ACT/SAT scores reviewed or not?

On the Common Application Supplement Questions for SCU, the following question will be required of all first-year applicants: Do you want your test scores considered?

Are other test scores like SAT II Subject Tests, AP exam scores, IB exam scores, A-levels exam scores, etc. required in the admission review process?

Santa Clara does not require submission of these scores for admission application evaluation. If students would like to report scores, they have the option to share scores through their Common Application.

How do we evaluate applications?

At Santa Clara University, we review applications holistically, meaning that we will review your application individually, taking into account your academic credentials as well as your personal qualities. Important required pieces of your application include your transcript, course rigor, unweighted GPA, extracurricular activities, Common App essay, supplemental questions, and demonstrated interest. Test scores are treated as optional information, similar to a resume or an additional letter of recommendation.

What if I’m applying for Fall 2025 or later?

Santa Clara University is still reviewing the test-optional policy for future years.

Can an applicant who is deferred or waitlisted change their testing choice?

An applicant with a deferred or Wait List decision will have the opportunity to submit supplemental information, including test scores, an updated transcript, letter of interest, or additional letters of recommendations. It will not be required or expected to submit test scores.

What should I know as an international student?

You still have the test-optional choice. All international applicants are required to demonstrate a minimum level of English language. You can view our Undergraduate English Proficiency website to see the several ways to demonstrate English proficiency in the application for admission, which include proficiency exams like IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo or standardized tests like SAT or ACT.

Does Santa Clara Superscore?

Yes. Students who choose to submit their test scores have the option to submit multiple scores. SCU is interested in your best achievement, so sending us multiple tests, if available, allows us to see subsections regardless of test date or test type (ACT/SAT).

How does this affect merit scholarships and institutional financial aid awards?

It doesn’t! All students are reviewed for merit scholarships, whether they applied with or without a test score. About the top 15% of our applicants receive merit scholarships on the basis of a holistic review process. A student who chooses not to submit standardized test scores will be at no disadvantage in our merit scholarship review processes. It’s up to you.

Students who choose to have their scores considered must take the exam by the appropriate application deadline:

 *We cannot ensure October ACT test results will reach our office in time for Early Action and Early Decision I review.

We accept the following options to complete the test scores requirement by the application deadline:

If you receive updated test results after submitting the Self-Reported Test Scores form, you can self-report these newer scores by filling out the form again.

If you are offered admission to Santa Clara University and choose to enroll, official test scores that match your self-reported scores will need to be received by your deposit deadline. In order for test scores to be considered official, they must be sent directly from College Board or ACT. Santa Clara University reserves the right to revoke admission if an applicant’s self-reported scores do not match their official score report.

For enrolling students who did not select to have test scores considered in the admission review process, SCU will ask for official scores after matriculation if scores are available. The scores will be used for exam of the test optional program.

Test-Optional Admission Policy

W&M extends test-optional admission process indefinitely

Following a highly effective three-year pilot program, William & Mary will continue its standardized test-optional undergraduate admission process indefinitely. The test-optional approach allows prospective students to decide whether they wish to include SAT or ACT test results as part of their application. William & Mary’s holistic admission review process involves many components, including several optional elements, such as standardized test scores, teacher recommendations and interviews.

For more information about applying test-optional, please visit our Test-Optional FAQ page.