Pomona Test Optional Policy compared to Stanford, Yale, Brown, Cal, etc

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
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Several extremely selective colleges have said they will be “test optional” for the class or 2025 and that applicants who submit no standardized test scores “will not be disadvantaged.” Pomona has not said this, as far as I know, but several colleges that attract similar applicants (including Stanford, Brown and Yale) have used these or similar words. Stanford says “There will be no penalty for choosing not to submit scores.”

Like Pomona, the University of California has not said that applicants who submit no standardized test scores “will not be disadvantaged,” but the University of California say it will be “test blind” a couple of years from now (although it also say it is planning on using some kind of all-new test).

If a “test optional” college does not say that applicants who submit no scores “will not be disadvantaged,” does that mean something different? Does it mean that the applicants who opt not to submit scores probably will be at a disadvantage or penalized? Or that they will be at a disadvantage unless they have a good excuse for not submitting scores?

Pomona, Amherst,and Wesleyan are among the many colleges that have made submission of standardized test scores “optional” without saying that they will not hold that option against applicants who choose it. Is that sort of like giving someone the “option” of writing “I don’t really want to get in to your college” on the application form?

Pomona’s statement is below:

“This one-year policy means SAT or ACT scores are not required for applicants for first-year or transfer admission, though students may still choose to submit them.”

“The Office of Admissions will continue to place emphasis on academic achievement, leadership and extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors. The submission of arts supplements and completing an alumni interview continue to be optional components of the Pomona application.”

“The College’s selection process will remain thorough and comprehensive, notes Assistant Vice President and Director of Admissions Adam Sapp. “We use a multi-factor review process and make decisions via committee,” he says. ‘It has always been our goal to admit students who we know will flourish at Pomona—this one-year test optional policy will not change that.’”

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Not a direct answer to your questions, but the Pomona admissions website also says:

“For those questioning whether to submit test scores, students are encouraged to decide how best to present themselves to the admission committee and whether—or not—their standardized test results accurately reflect their academic ability and potential. For those who elect to submit them, test scores will be reviewed holistically, in the context of other application materials and indicators of academic ability and promise.”

FWIW, from everything I’ve ever heard from folks in Pomona’s admissions office and my own experience at a selective LAC, that last sentence reflects the way test scores were handled even before the current situation.