News

Students applying to Le Moyne College to begin study in fall 2016 will now have the option of submitting their SAT and ACT test scores or withholding them for consideration as part of the admission process.

“This decision, part of a growing trend in higher education, is aligned very closely with the mission of Le Moyne College, which has a strong history of welcoming first-generation students,” said Le Moyne President Linda LeMura. “While it’s true that standardized tests can provide one indication of the qualifications of students applying to Le Moyne, we strongly believe that by becoming test optional our applicant pool will include more students from demographic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented.”.

The decision to become test optional has been under consideration at Le Moyne for some time. Students still have the option of submitting standardized test scores, but will not be at a disadvantage if they do not. In recent years, the College has put an increasing reliance for admission on other criteria, including high school transcripts, the rigor of completed course work, extracurricular activities, community involvement, essays and personal recommendations..

“Our goal is to attract students who are not only exceptional scholars, but will also become involved with other key elements of the Le Moyne educational experience, such as service-learning and student clubs,” said Bill Cheetham, assistant vice president for enrollment management. “By increasing our reliance on factors other than standardized tests, we will be able to conduct a more holistic review of the criteria necessary to predict student success.” .

It is anticipated that the policy change will serve to expand the breadth of the applicant pool. There are more than 800 colleges and universities in the U.S. that are test optional.