Applying to Harvard just got Easier

Traditionally, America’s most prestigious universities have required three SAT subject tests, but with the introduction of writing sections on the SAT and ACT in 2005, colleges have been gradually reducing the subject test requirement.

This admissions cycle, Harvard has jumped on the two-test bandwagon, and Georgetown is “strongly” recommending three instead of requiring them. The maximum subject tests that any American college now requires is two, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling. For 18 institutions, just the ACT is good enough — no need to write any subject tests!

So why the change?

The writing tests have proven to be a solid indicator of future academic success. These tests are so good, that colleges no longer feel the need for as many different tests to show the same pattern. “Many colleges, including Harvard, [are now] confident that by reducing the number of required tests, they would not reduce their capacity to make good academic assessments,” Jeff A. Neal, a Harvard spokesman says.

Janet Rapelye, Dean of Admission at Princeton, which dropped the three-test requirement last year, cites an additional reason: accessibility. Studies have shown that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to take three subject tests, and by dropping the number of required subject tests the barriers to applying to colleges is lowered.