Test-blind (as opposed to test-optional) admissions is on the rise.

Applying to College
1

"When Loyola University New Orleans announced in May that it was going test blind in admissions, only two other colleges had that status: Hampshire College went test blind in 2014, and Northern Illinois University changed its policy earlier this year.

Today, there are 59 colleges that are test blind – meaning that they do not look at SAT and ACT scores even if students submit them. Obviously there are far more colleges that are test optional. Most colleges are in fact test optional, although many only have adopted that policy for one or two years.

Loyola’s announcement was noteworthy because the university has attracted students with good (but not exceptional) test scores. The most recent class profile of the university lists an SAT average of 1367 and an ACT average of 30.

When Loyola announced its policy – early in the pandemic – a statement by Nathan Ament, chief enrollment officer, cited the difficulty some students faced in taking the SAT or ACT …" …

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/09/14/pandemic-has-seen-rise-test-blind-admissions

2

How do they have SAT averages if they are test-blind? Do they require scores to be submitted after admission? Or are they using scores that are submitted, even though they are ignored (with the Common App, perhaps) which could be as self-selecting as test-optional stats?

Test-blind during the pandemic makes sense. It removes the “not having a score does not penalize you but having a good score can be an advantage” paradox.

3

Since Loyola New Orleans only recently announced being SAT/ACT-blind, its most recent admit class had SAT/ACT scores.