Great College Advice

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Grades and Course Rigor Matter the Most in College Admissions The most recent National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) State of College Admission Report updated its four-year college members’ survey of the Factors in the Admission Decision. Although anecdotes can help, sometimes the data can tell the story for you.

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Admissions Village

JUNE 19, 2024

Public Colleges: Government-funded postsecondary institutions that generally offer lower tuition rates to state residents. State Flagship: Typically the most prominent public university in the state. Most accelerated degree programs allow a student to obtain a bachelor’s degree in three years or less.

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Top Tier Admissions

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

As of this morning, Yale is the second Ivy League school to require standardized test scores, following Dartmouth’s lead and citing research that test-optional policies adversely affect high-scoring low-income students. When a university states they are test optional, some students take them at their word.

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AdmissionSight

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Standardized test scores Harvard has reinstated its requirement for standardized test scores beginning with the class of 2029, meaning applicants must now submit SAT or ACT results as part of their application. Academic Excellence: GPA, Standardized Tests, and Course Rigor Getting into Harvard University is simply tough.

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Excelsior Admissions Consulting

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation compares a student’s score to the eligibility score for that student’s home state. Some states require higher scores than others for National Merit Scholarships. For example, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York typically have higher cutoff scores than other states.

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Peterson's Blog

JANUARY 14, 2025

The CLT, or Classic Learning Test , is a standardized test to gauge academic readiness and abilities for college by examining critical thinking and aptitude. With its popularity, were excited to offer this CLT test prep to Petersons subscribers. Why Petersons for CLT Prep? Reserve their spot in our CLT prep today!

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Top Tier Admissions

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

The landscape of college admissions continues to shift as universities re-evaluate the role of standardized testing in the application process. In a major policy change, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) has announced that it will reinstate its standardized testing requirement for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle.

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Top Tier Admissions

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

For students out of state, these numbers are even lower. Test scores Unlike the many colleges that have reinstated standardized testing requirements , the UC schools remain test-blind and will not consider SAT or ACT scores. While UC Riverside boasted a generous 76.4% Describe how you express your creative side.

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Top Tier Admissions

APRIL 9, 2025

As we move into the 2025 testing season, a year already marked by significant shifts in higher education , the ACT itself is also undergoing notable changes. Its important for prospective students to understand how these updates may impact both their testing strategies and college applications.

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Admissions Village

MARCH 24, 2024

Today, we are going to say that after you have done those things, studied hard in rigorous courses, participated in activities you feel passionate about, worked to be helpful to others you care about, spent time preparing good applications, studying for, and excelling at your standardized tests, the answer is NOTHING.

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Marks Education

APRIL 9, 2025

That process often includes a review of your college transcript, more essays, and sometimes a standardized test related to your prerequisite coursework. Score Reporting or Test-Optional Once youve decided whether youd like to focus on direct admit or pre-program track schools, you should look into each schools testing policy.

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Berkeley² Academy

MARCH 8, 2025

million applications to over 800 Common App member colleges, and according to the organizations newest application trends report , Texas remains the fastest growing state in terms of application numbers, increasing by 36% and contributing to the Southwest being the fastest growing region overall. In the 2024-25 application cycle, 1.3

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Marks Education

APRIL 16, 2025

Applying to colleges in the United States as an international student can be an intimidating and all around complex process. This includes explaining standardized tests (SAT, ACT) , essays , recommendation letters , the Common Application. You mightve heard that the U.S. You mightve heard that the U.S. apply to elite colleges.

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Admissions Village

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

Test scores and test-optional admissions, which have been in the spotlight for several years now, are getting renewed attention as of late. Many colleges have still not decided if they will become permanently test-optional for admissions. I want to thank my colleague Meg Joyce for co-writing this blog post with me.

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AdmissionSight

NOVEMBER 16, 2024

won’t require standardized test scores. The rise of the best test optional colleges is changing the game, giving students new ways to stand out in the admissions process. The rise of the best test optional colleges is changing the game, giving students new ways to stand out in the admissions process.

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College Essay Guy

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

Military Academy (West Point) Located in West Point, New York, the United States Military Academy—commonly known as West Point —is one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. If you’re not sure which branch you’re interested in, how do you determine which academy is the right fit for you? Navy and U.S. Space Force.

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HelloCollege

JANUARY 16, 2025

Instead of requiring students to submit a full application with essays, activities list , recommendation letters , and other traditional elements, some colleges proactively offer admission to students based on information already available, like GPA, standardized test scores, or self-reported academic achievements.

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Admissions Village

MARCH 26, 2023

Today we are going to say that after you have done all of those things, studied hard in rigorous courses, participated in activities you felt passionate about, worked to be helpful to others you care about, spent time preparing good applications, studying for, and excelling at your standardized tests, the answer is NOTHING.

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Spark Admissions

APRIL 11, 2023

According to Columbia, this move was prompted by a growing recognition of the flaws in standardized testing and the school’s desire to make the admissions process more equitable and accessible to a broader range of students. For decades, standardized tests have been central to the college admissions process.

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Spark Admissions

APRIL 11, 2023

According to Columbia, this move was prompted by a growing recognition of the flaws in standardized testing and the school’s desire to make the admissions process more equitable and accessible to a broader range of students. For decades, standardized tests have been central to the college admissions process.

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Koodoos Learning

OCTOBER 9, 2022

The test-optional movement started almost 50 years ago at Bowdoin College, but in the past few years, more and more colleges have joined along. Recently, diversity concerns may have led to more colleges deciding to go test optional. that are now test-optional, according to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing.”

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Admissions Village

APRIL 25, 2023

Part 3: This Process Is Opaque In the first part of this series, we discussed the role that the rise of test-optional (it is now optional to submit standardized test scores, SAT or ACT, at most colleges) has played in opening up the applicant pool to highly selective colleges. Is it worth it to submit scores?

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Ivy Central

MAY 17, 2023

The campus also features state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Wake Downtown biomedical engineering and applied sciences campus in downtown Winston-Salem. The accepted students represent 47 states and 45 countries. Overview Wake Forest University is a private research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.

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Top Tier Admissions

JUNE 14, 2024

A Yale University admissions officer, Richard Moll, coined the phrase in 1985 to refer to state universities that offer exceptional educations at a fraction of the Ivy league price for in-state students. and an overall out-of-state acceptance rate of 13%. and we expect to see another sub-9% acceptance rate for the Class of 2028.

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Top Tier Admissions

MARCH 15, 2024

UT AUSTIN: STANDARDIZED TESTING REQUIRED After four years of test-optional admissions for undergraduate admissions, the University of Texas at Austin will once again require standardized testing scores , beginning with applications for the Fall 2025 semester. News & World Report in 2024. all else equal.”

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AdmissionSight

JANUARY 21, 2025

Kansas State University Location : Manhattan, Kansas Acceptance rate: 80% Kansas State University is a big fan of keeping things simple. As one of the top colleges without supplemental essays, they dont want you to spill your soul onto a piece of paper: they just want to see if youve got the grades or the test scores to back it up.

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BestColleges

JULY 18, 2024

The math, reading, and English core test will be reduced from three hours to two hours to curb test-taking fatigue. Many colleges and universities went test-optional during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some have recently reinstated standardized testing requirements. The ACT Education Corp.,

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The Koppelman Group

NOVEMBER 2, 2024

Just over 2,000 students call Hamilton home, and they come from 48 states and 56 countries for the opportunity to learn in the Hamilton way. Just over 2,000 students call Hamilton home, and they come from 48 states and 56 countries for the opportunity to learn in the Hamilton way. What’s the Hamilton way?

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AdmissionSight

MARCH 30, 2025

Brown Universitys Common Data Set clearly states that level of applicants interest is not considered during the application review process. Very important They place the most importance on things like your talent/ability, character/personal qualities, standardized test scores, recommendations, and your application essay.

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Admissions Village

APRIL 19, 2023

At the same time, we still have one student awaiting a regular decision from a state flagship with a roughly 80% acceptance rate, and we heard she is not the only one. MIT would be the exception to this, but that is because they went back to requiring standardized test scores.) This will be the first blog in a series.

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AdmissionSight

DECEMBER 6, 2024

If youre eyeing a state school, a private university, or something in between, understanding exactly what colleges are looking for is important. Standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT have been a big part of college applications for decades. But at the core of it all?

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Spark Admissions

JUNE 9, 2023

As you may know, the SAT is in the process of transitioning to a new version of the test. The process has already begun internationally, and in Spring 2024, high school students in the United States will only have the option to take the new digital SAT. We will try to answer these questions below. What are the major changes to the SAT?

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AdmissionSight

JANUARY 10, 2025

Virginia State University (VSU) Norfolk State University (NSU) Radford University George Mason University (GMU) University of Virginia (UVA) The Average Cost of College in Virginia 10 Smart Strategies to Score Scholarships and Save Big in College Frequently Asked Questions Takeaways 5 Cheapest Colleges in Virginia 1. Smart move.

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AdmissionSight

APRIL 15, 2025

New Hampshire might be famous for its breathtaking mountains and quaint New England charm, but the state also packs a punch when it comes to higher education. And if youre wondering: are there Ivy League schools in New Hampshire? Youve come to the right place. What Ivy League School Is in New Hampshire?

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Discovery College Consulting

MARCH 4, 2025

Test-optional policies took off during the Covid 19 pandemic, though some institutions, mostly small liberal arts colleges, had adopted these policies in the early 2000s. Recently, some of the most selective colleges in the nation have been reverting to test-required policies. It would not be surprising if others follow suit.

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BestColleges

JANUARY 30, 2024

A Harvard-based study says high standardized test scores equate to greater academic success at Ivy-Plus colleges. Most highly selective colleges remain temporarily test-optional. Emphasizing test scores can impede efforts to maintain economic and racial diversity. By contrast, high school GPAs have less predictive power.

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The Koppelman Group

APRIL 13, 2025

The University of Michigan is regularly ranked in the top 5 public universities in the United States. Mich has always been popular within the state of Michigan, with a little over 50% of first-years coming from the state, but it has also become extremely popular for out-of-state applicants.

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