West Virginia University Adopts ‘Test-Optional’ Admission Policy Amid Mounting Student ‘Stress’

A Google Maps image of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Screenshot via The Epoch Times

West Virginia University (WVU) has become the first higher education institution in the state to adopt a “test-optional” admission policy in an effort to reduce the “stress” of the college application process for students.

Test scores as part of the admissions process for WVU were temporarily made optional ahead of the fall 2020 semester during the COVID-19 pandemic when various restrictions prevented students from taking either the ACT or SAT.

It was then extended multiple times as the pandemic continued, with the last extension set to end in spring 2024.

However, the WVU Board of Governors voted earlier this month to permanently adopt the test-optional policy, meaning it will stay in place after 2024.

“Students have been embracing test-optional admissions processes as part of their college searches since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and, going forward, we have an obligation to remove any barriers that may deter those interested in higher education,” George Zimmerman, assistant vice president for Enrollment Management, said in a press release announcing the new rules.

“Giving students the flexibility to choose whether or not standardized tests are included in their college applications has shown to be effective in helping them feel more in control of the process,” Zimmerman added.

Speaking to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Zimmerman stressed that the decision to roll out the test-optional policy was unrelated to ongoing financial challenges at the university after it recently announced budget shortfalls. He also insisted it was not related to national declines in higher education enrollment.

‘Removing Barriers for Education’

Enrollment at the university was down 3.5 percent last fall compared to a year prior, according to The Daily Athenaeum.

Nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8 percent in the fall of 2022 compared to 2020, according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse.

Those declines continued even after the return to in-person classes previously put on hold during the pandemic, according to the report.

“This policy is actually more about giving students that option to be able to apply with their scores or not, and really providing access and removing barriers for education,” Zimmerman told West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

“What we’ve seen nationally is that students like institutions to be test-optional. I think there’s a lot of other characteristics that we’re really looking into and taking into consideration and making sure that we’re, again, setting that student up for success,” he added.

According to FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, over 1,800 colleges and universities across the United States have made the SAT and/or ACT tests optional for applicants.

Meanwhile, roughly 86 campuses across the states of Alaska, California, Idaho, Illinois, and Minneapolis, have adopted a test-free admissions process, meaning they do not consider ACT or SAT results during the admissions process even if those scores are submitted.

West Virginia University said it will continue to offer scholarships for test-optional applicants and those providing test scores, however ACT or SAT requirements remain in place for students applying for the PROMISE Scholarship.

Additionally, a number of programs at the school still have specific testing requirements in place and test scores may still be necessary for applicants wishing to apply for those courses, university officials said.