SUNY Oswego will no longer require SAT/ACT scores

OSWEGO, N.Y. – The post COVID world has changed the college admissions process drastically, with the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) no longer being required for admission at SUNY Oswego.

Since the pandemic, SUNY Oswego has eliminated SAT requirements for admission. This came as it was very challenging for people to schedule exams as many of the dates were canceled as a result of the pandemic.

“Oswego uses a holistic, full-file application review process for both admission and merit-based scholarship consideration. While we will consider scores if submitted, SAT/ACT results are not required,” says SUNY Oswego’s FAQ for Admission.

Forbes reported that 80% of four-year colleges no longer require the SAT to be considered for admission. This means that students have option to not submit a score.

Jenna Sahulys, an advisor with the SUNY Oswego admissions office, says that “other grades and activities and essays are considered” when exam scores aren’t submitted. Sahulys also said that if someone submits an application with a low GPA, an exam score can be helpful.

Sahulys also said that the numbers when it comes to submission of a score to no submission of a score is pretty even. Sahulys said that many people call the admissions office asking if exam scores are required, and most people don’t submit a score when they find out that the application is test-optional.

“I didn’t send my score,” says Owen Lang. “I didn’t because I had a good GPA, but my score wasn’t that good.”

Lang also said that he wasn’t interested in paying to retake the exam, outlining another reason why many universities have decided to become test-optional.

Lang says that most of his friends did not submit a score, and some did not even take the SAT exam at all.  He mentioned the stress that comes with the exam, and how not being a good test taker shouldn’t determine whether or not you should be admitted into college.

“My senior year was stressful, I didn’t want to overload my schedule with studying for a 3-hour exam.”

Lang also says he believes that standardized testing requirements for college admission will soon be a thing of the past, and that college admissions will only consider grades and extracurriculars from high school.

Over the years, there’s been many instances where people believe that considering an SAT score as a way of college admissions is inappropriate and racist. For instance, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), it is reported that the average SAT score was 1080 for the 2022 academic year.

The same study showed that white students received an average score of 1098 while black students received an average score of 926. This is due to a multitude of reasons, such as lack of funding in some public schools where the standard of education isn’t met to its highest expectations.

Nicolette Joannou, a student at SUNY Oswego, says she didn’t submit their SAT score. Joannou says she didn’t feel the need to, her grades were well and she didn’t want her SAT score to potentially ruin her chance of admission to the university. Joannou also says that it’s not fair for admissions officers to make a determination off one exam, since she says she is not a good exam taker.

Joannou also says that it’s not fair if someone is a good test taker they can have a higher chance at admission to college.

Joannou said that she submitted her ACT score as she did well on the exam and she believed that it helped her on being admitted to the university.