Harvard University Drops Standardized Test Requirements For Class Of 2025 Applicants
(CNN) -- Harvard is dropping its requirements that students submit standardized test scores to apply to be part of the Class of 2025.
The university joins most of the rest of the Ivy League in making SAT and ACT test scores optional this year because of the difficulty of taking and possibly retaking tests amid shutdowns caused by the coronavirus.
"We understand that the Covid-19 pandemic has created insurmountable challenges in scheduling tests for all students, particularly those from modest economic backgrounds, and we believe this temporary change addresses these challenges," the college said in a statement on its website.
Out of the eight Ivies, only Princeton is still requiring scores be submitted in the coming application cycle.
But in a letter to prospective applicants posted on its website, Princeton said it did not expect students to take the tests more than once, adding that scores would only be a part of the judging.
Brown, Columbia, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale have previously announced they are test-optional for the coming year.
The University of California and other schools have done the same.
The College Board had said it would run online SAT testing for students to take at home, but later shelved that plan. May and June test dates for the SAT have been canceled.
Harvard said it plans to be "open" for the fall semester, but some or all instruction will continue to be online.
Provost Alan Garber said it was up to the individual schools to decide how to teach undergraduate and graduated students.
Some, like Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School have said the fall term will be online only.
The-CNN-Wire
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