An analysis of McDaniel College’s admissions data shows a 45% increase in undergraduate applications annually since 2018, when the Westminster college made submitting SAT scores optional.
The data come from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Before 2018, only certain students were given the option not to submit SAT scores. Those students were required to have ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class, or absent class rank have a cumulative GPA greater than 3.5, NCES filings show.
McDaniel’s Director of Public Relations, Cheryl Knauer, said in an interview that making SAT score reporting optional for all students allows for a “personalized” and “holistic review of applicants.”
“We’re looking beyond the test scores. What classes have they taken? What are their extracurricular activities?” Knauer said. “We’re really trying to paint a picture of the type of student to see if they would fit in at McDaniel.”
In 2017, 64% of students in McDaniel’s class of 2021 submitted SAT scores when applying. In 2022, 21% of students enrolled in the class of 2026 had submitted scores, according to admissions statistics on the college’s website.
“We’re really trying to make this as easy as possible for students and their families and as stress free as possible,” Knauer said. “We don’t want test scores to be something that stresses a student from applying because they had a bad day and didn’t do well on a standardized test.”
McDaniel received an average of 2,798 undergraduate applications annually between 2013 and 2017, before it was optional for all students to submit test scores. In the five years since (2018-2022), the average number of applicants was up to an average of 4,070.
Asked if the increase in applications is attributable to making reporting test scores optional, Knauer said she was unable to say if that is the reason. “We’re seeing ourselves more and more as a private college of choice here in Maryland,” she added.
According to NCES, colleges that have admissions offices with a “test optional” policy will consider an applicant’s test scores if they are submitted. Alternatively, colleges where admissions are “test blind” will not consider an applicant’s test scores even if they are submitted.
McDaniel’s most recent filing to NCES from 2022 shows the college as being test blind. But Knauer challenged that categorization, maintaining the school considers itself test optional.
“Because we are test optional, if students do well on a standardized test, they have the option of submitting that with their application,” she said. “No one is being penalized for not submitting test scores.”
Of the 13 institutions making up the Maryland Independent College and University Association, two other schools were categorized as having test blind admissions — Hood College in Frederick and Stevenson University in Owings Mills.
The other 10 schools in MICUA were all marked as being test optional in their most recent filings, including Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Goucher College in Towson, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
To be considered for undergraduate admissions at McDaniel College, students are required to submit a secondary school GPA and a secondary school record. For English learners, an English proficiency test is also required, according to NCES.
Optional materials that are considered if submitted at McDaniel include secondary school rank, completion of college preparatory programs, recommendations, demonstrations of competencies, work experience, an essay or personal statement, and legacy status.
Contact the reporter at ethan.reese.reporter@proton.me.
