Inside the Yale Admissions Office Standardized Tests: How We Got Here
Feb 22, 2024
Jeremiah Quinlan, Yale’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, gives a data-driven institutional perspective. He walks through Yale’s shift from required tests to test-optional to test-flexible. Conversations cover how applicant pools changed, research linking scores to college performance, and practical advice on submitting scores under the new policy.
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International Applicants Rose Sharply
- The test-optional policy attracted many more international applicants because taking SAT/ACT abroad is harder.
- International applications rose about 130% after the change.
More Nonviable Applicants Entered Pool
- A second major increase came from applicants with weak high-school transcripts who likely weren't competitive.
- Many applied thinking 'why not?' once testing was optional, swelling non-viable applications.
Submission Rates Differ From Admission Rates
- Roughly half of applicants submitted scores and half did not, but admitted students were ~75% with scores and 25% without.
- Admit rates were ~6% with scores versus ~2% without, reflecting contextual differences, not automatic bias.