My son aced his SAT and since he has a weaker GPA, we’re specifically looking for colleges that still require it. Please help us to identify them, so that we can see if any match up with his list. Thank you!
All public universities in Georgia are going to require it. Just so you know, high test scores and weak GPA may not be looked upon positively by admission officers - lots has been written about this. They may read that as not working to his potential. We have a friend whose son was rejected everywhere with a 36 ACT and a B average. It is better oftentimes to have a lower test scores and higher grades. I would dive into this issue when crafting the college list.
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Thanks - yes, we know. He’s focused on bringing grades up. But it is what it is, and some schools care about SATs more than others.
Agree with @VirginiaBelle that high SAT/ACT scores may not compensate for what a particular college sees as a sub-par GPA.
Better to make your reach/match/likely/safety lists based primarily on the GPA, not the SAT/ACT scores, for the general case.
However, the high SAT/ACT scores may be helpful if the college has a published automatic admission or scholarship that the scores help qualify for despite the lower GPA, or the college uses a known admission formula that you can put the SAT/ACT scores and GPA into to help estimate chances.
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Again, you are telling us what we already know. His gpa isn’t terrible. He just isn’t in top 10%.
My question is: which schools still require the SAT?
Does anyone know?
Public universities in Florida require test scores.
There is a free app you can download to your iPhone:
“CollegeHunch”
It allows searches applying various criteria, including
Test Optional yes/no. This search currently yields 116 schools that are not Test Optional. Among them are several State school systems, including MS, LA, FL,etc. also, all the Service Academies.
If you already know what @ucbalumnus said (that you need to focus on GPA rather than test scores in determining what schools your son should apply to and use test scores only to determine merit opportunities or automatic admission), why does it matter what schools will be requiring test scores?
And as far as the answer for that, this is changing every day and more and more systems are announcing their position. Florida and Georgia will definitely be requiring them for all state schools. Google may be the best way to answer that question with the most current information.
Purdue is test flexible next cycle but still prefers scores be sent.
Thanks for this! Really helpful.
Schools that don’t require the SAT will still appreciate a high score in the evaluation process.
While it might make sense to avoid test-blind schools, I wouldn’t suggest crossing test optional schools off the list.
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Colorado just passed a law that test scores no longer HAVE to be considered at public schools. Schools can consider if they want to, but they no longer have to, and most have indicated they will not.
As noted above, they may still be required for scholarships.
Lots of schools that are test optional will accept and consider test scores if you choose to send them. I think there are only a handful of schools that are truly test blind and refuse to consider them.