The Return of Test Requirements: Colleges That Now Require SAT or ACT Scores

In the aftermath of Covid, thousands of colleges and universities throughout the United States were relegated to making the switch to test-optional admissions, allowing students to apply without having to submit their SAT or ACT scores, when testing locations were unavailable.  With all of the uncertainties at the time, some colleges/universities quickly bought into the increased college accessibility of a test optional policy and the reduced student anxiety surrounding test taking, thereby  adjusting the application process with a knock-on widespread disruption in the standardized testing world.

However, with life returning to normalcy and test-optional admissions results analyzed, a new shift began in 2024 and 2025 for a handful of universities. The practice of test-optional applications is being reversed. Why are some colleges making this change?  

Predictive value: Many colleges believe that test scores are helpful in predicting a prospective student’s college success, especially when those numbers are viewed along with GPA and other factors.

Applicant equity: Transcripts don’t give the admissions office context about the high school that a student attended. Two students may have the same GPA and similar course loads, but one could be attending a school that has a more rigorous reputation, making their GPA a bit more impressive. With over 50% of college applicants having an A- or better GPA, some colleges believe standardized test scores help to better differentiate students. All students are taking the same SAT and ACT tests, their scores help give more intel into the student’s performance. This is particularly meaningful for large state universities trying to decide who gains access to their lower cost state education options.

Application thinning: Becoming test-optional opens the door for many more students to apply to schools, which can be both good and bad. It has given students who would typically shy away from a school purely because of their test score averages, a chance to attend that school. But, it also increases the number of applicants who are not as competitive. Reinstating the testing requirement may help to reduce the overall number of applications to a school. 

Ranking pressures: Large ranking systems like U.S. News & World Report still weigh test scores. For some colleges, they feel pressured to require scores so that they can maintain their rankings.

What do the different test requirement types mean? 

Test-Optional: Students can choose whether they submit their SAT or ACT scores with their application. If a student chooses not to submit their scores, it will not be counted against them in their application review.  Some schools have variations in their test-optional requirements. Some “test-preferred” schools may require that you have a certain GPA in order to apply test-optional or may require scores for certain programs or scholarships. 

Test Flexible: Standardized test scores are required if GPA is below a certain level or some colleges require a test score but they can be from tests other than the SAT or ACT. These tests could be AP or IB exams, or other standardized tests a student has completed. 

This policy increases access for students, allowing them to demonstrate their academic abilities without requiring them to take specific tests. 

Test Scores Required: Students must take and submit their scores from the SAT or ACT along with their application. 

Test Blind: The University of California system no longer accepts standardized test scores for admissions.

Colleges that are now Test Required for the upcoming 2025-2026 application cycle:

Brown University

Beginning with the 2025-2026 application cycle, Brown will again require all first-year applicants to submit their test scores when applying. There is an exception for students that are unable to take the test, instead they can substitute another national exam. 

(Source: https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2024/03/brown-to-reinstate-standardized-testing-requirement-for-admission#:~:text=Reinstating%20standardized%20testing,additional%20tutoring%20or%20other%20strategies.0)

Carnegie Mellon University

For applicants applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission, standardized test scores will be required for the School of Computer Science. Several other colleges and programs will move to a test flexible policy. The College of Fine Arts will remain test-optional. 

(Source: https://www.cmu.edu/admission/admission/standardized-testing) 

Cornell University

The standardized test score requirement has been reinstated for applicants applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission. 

(Source: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/04/cornell-reinstate-standardized-test-requirements-fall-2026)

Georgia Southern University, Augusta University, Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University

For applicants applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission, test scores will now be required- returning to a policy that the hallmark UGA and GA Tech never changed - even during Covid.. 

(Source: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/05/16/seven-georgia-public-colleges-reinstate-testing-requirements#:~:text=You%20have%20/5%20articles%20left,be%20determined%20by%20individual%20colleges.)

Johns Hopkins University

For applicants applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission, standardized test scores will be required. 

(Source: https://hub.jhu.edu/2024/08/16/undergrad-admissions-standardized-test-requirement/#:~:text=University%20will%20require%20undergraduate%20applicants,required%20for%20fall%202025%20admissions)

Ohio State University

Beginning with applicants applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission, standardized test scores will be required. Applicants will be allowed to superscore their tests. 

(Source: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2025/03/12/ohio-state-sat-act-college-admissions-requirements-2026/82332638007/#:~:text=Ohio%20State%20University%20will%20require,remain%20test%2Doptional%20for%20now.) 

Stanford University

Students applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission will be required to submit their standardized test scores. 

(Source: https://admission.stanford.edu/)  

University of Miami

For applicants applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission, U Miami has reinstated their standardized testing requirement for the first time since 2020. 

(Source: https://www.wlrn.org/education/2025-01-28/um-standardized-test-requirements) 

University of Pennsylvania 

Beginning with applicants applying in fall 2025 for fall 2026 admission, UPenn is reinstating their standardized testing requirement for applicants. 

(Source: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/announcements/penn-reinstates-standardized-testing-undergraduate-admissions)

Colleges/Universities requiring ongoing test requirements:

Dartmouth College

Georgetown University

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

Georgia State College and University

Harvard University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Purdue University

United States Military Academies - West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, etc.

University of Florida System - UF, FSU, USF, and others

University of Georgia (UGA) 

University of Tennessee Knoxville

University of Texas at Austin

Yale University

Colleges/Universities that are now Test-Flexible depending on GPA:

Several colleges have followed Auburn University’s lead in setting GPA minimum requirements for students who wish to apply test-optional. Auburn requires a GPA of 3.6 or higher to qualify for test-optional admissions. In North Carolina, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, Appalachian State, and UNC Wilmington now all require a minimum 2.8 GPA to apply test-optional. Similarly, Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina requires a GPA of 3.5 or higher to apply without standardized testing.

Submitting your scores - what you should know:

With many schools being test optional for the past few years, it can be difficult to interpret if your score is in their desired range because recent year data was inflated by only strong test-takers reporting scores. Here is the list of the schools mentioned in our blog that are reinstating their standardized testing requirements and what the middle 50% range looked like when all students were required to submit their scores. This range is similar to what admissions will be looking for now and what your goal score should be if you are applying.

For the Class of 2026 students who are submitting their applications this fall, make sure to check every college’s website carefully. Testing policies are changing rapidly and can often vary by major, honors college, or scholarship - all the way up to August 1 when applications relaunch. If you have competitive scores, submitting them at test-optional schools can still strengthen your application and likelihood of acceptance.  

By: Libbie Payne

Master your Hygge: Exploring Skandinavian University Programs

In this edition of The College Sage’s blog, we’re going to be discussing a few unique opportunities abroad in Scandinavia, located in Northern Europe which is home to a beautiful peninsula and countries featuring dramatic mountains, dense forests, glacial lakes, and rolling countryside. The College Sage recommends a maritime or English Master's degree if you find yourself desiring an enriching experience in a new place. 

University of Copenhagen: 

The College Sage is all about helping you find your perfect college fit. So it feels only right that we’re profiling a school in Denmark - the country that gave us hygge, which is a concept of coziness, comfort, and feeling like you belong. The University of Copenhagen is a prestigious public research institution. Some of the most popular masters programs include Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Water and Environment, Anthropology, Climate Change, Global Health, Agriculture and more! Founded in 1479, it serves over 37,000 students. It has produced 10 Nobel Laureates, 24 Danish Prime Ministers, and many more accomplished alums, all from its picture-perfect campus in stylish and vibrant Copenhagen. Could the University of Copenhagen be where you find your college hygge? Contact us now to learn more!

Uppsala University:

Uppsala University traces its history back to 1477. But don’t let its age trick you into thinking that this institution is a relic of the past. Rather, this powerhouse Scandinavian university boasts a student body in excess of 50,000 and is home to some of the world’s leading scholars in humanities, social sciences, medicine, pharmacy, and technology. Situated in vibrant and bustling Uppsala (just 45 minutes by train from Stockholm) the campus features historic medieval buildings, verdant gardens, and world-class academic centers. Interested in attending Uppsala University, the oldest university in all of Scandinavia? Contact The College Sage today!

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) provides many different and interesting Master’s programs. Established in 1996, NTNU was a result of a merger between the University of Trondheim and other university-level institutions. Home to over 42,000 students, NTNU has over 400 study programs where students receive the utmost and prestigious schooling. Some of the most popular and successful Master’s programs include engineering, technology, natural sciences, medicine, psychology, social sciences, arts, teacher education, economics, architecture and fine arts. NTNU welcomes students from all over the world, and offers more than 60 international master programmes as well as PhD programmes. If you’re interested in applying to one of these master’s programs, contact The College Sage!

University of Oslo: 

The University of Oslo offers a host of English Masters options and other graduate degree programs! Some of the most popular include Musicology, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Computational Science, Fluid Mechanics, Classical Studies, Maritime Law and European History. The College Sage thanks summer traveler and double-Sager Elliot Leadem for sharing his tour of this amazing university in Norway. While he has already committed to begin his MBA this fall at Georgetown, his travels remind us that there are fascinating opportunities across the globe to pursue higher degree education. 

Contact The College Sage now!

At The College Sage, we love helping students find their academic homes! Ask us about our help finding students get to: University College London (UCL) for Anthropology, Emory for Nursing, Columbia University for Enterprise Risk, University of Tennessee for a PhD in Chemistry and Veterinary School, Georgetown for MBA, Duke University for Sustainability, and oh so many MUSC for med school. One common comment from our clever students: “Thank you College Sage for your amazing ideas that helped sharpen my application essays”. Thinking about a Master’s, Law school, Business school, or Med school? Contact thecollegesage.com now!

College Admissions is Always a Puzzle - Here are the New Pieces for 2024-2025

Here at The College Sage, we like to do the hard work for you. Over the course of this summer we have kept track of any changes that have occurred with the college application process. As a way to keep everything in the same place, we’re going to compile all of our new news into this blog!

First, University of Florida. Recently they just introduced an Early Action admissions plan, with the due date being October 15. For more information refer to this link: https://admissions.ufl.edu/apply/freshman/deadlines 

Next, University of Michigan changed the way that students apply for business school majors. Now, UMich will be allowing a first-year admitting unit that allows incoming freshmen to directly apply to the business school. In order to do this, you must select the “Stephen M. Ross School of Business” within the U-M college or school to which you are applying section within the Common Application. Lastly, you must also complete the other parts of the application, including the essays and the Ross Admissions Portfolio. The deadlines for the business school are EA-Nov 1 or RD-Feb 1. Students will be notified of their decision between late January and mid-April. For more information check out this link: https://michiganross.umich.edu/undergraduate/bba/admissions/first-year-applicants 

North Carolina State University introduced a new test-optional policy. If students have a GPA below a 2.8, they will now be required to submit their test scores. However, if their GPA falls above a 2.8, they are not required to submit their scores. NC State also announced that their supplemental essays will remain the same as last year. Check out this link for more info: https://admissions.ncsu.edu/apply/first-year/application-review/#:~:text=We%20are%20test%20optional%20for,about%20test%20score%20consideration%20here. 

Duke University announced that they are changing how they score applicants. They are no longer assigning numerical ratings to applicants’ standardized test scores and essays. The point system will still be in effect for curriculum strength, academics, recommendations, and extracurriculars. Due to the rise of AI, Duke has decided to no longer assume that student’s essays are an accurate representation of their writing prowess however they will continue to use the essays to better understand the character and personality of each applicant. Even though Duke is test optional and test scores are no longer a part of the point system, the school will still consider your scores if you choose to submit them. For more information see this link: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/02/21/duke-stops-assigning-numeric-values-essays-test-scores#:~:text=Duke%20University%20enacted%20big%20changes%20to%20its%20admission%20practices%20this%20application%20cycle.&text=Duke%20University%20is%20no%20longer,email%20to%20Inside%20Higher%20Ed. 

Next, we have a few schools that are now going to be requiring test scores for the 2024-2025 common applications. These schools include Dartmouth, Brown, UT Austin, Yale, and Harvard.

Stanford University announced that while they have no changes for this year, beginning in 2025-2026, test scores will be required. 

Is this high schoolers getting into the college business or colleges getting into the high school business? The University of Pennslyvania’s Business School, Wharton, announced that they will now have a dual enrollment program for high schoolers. The program is online and covers various topics taught in Wharton’s business curriculum. Students will be able to gain college credit, gain insight into the college academic experience, and learn topics that aren’t usually covered in high schools. There are five sessions; two summer, two fall, and one spring. In order to be considered you must apply by the deadline, have a minimum of a 3.5 unweighted GPA, and complete the required essays. More information about admissions deadlines is linked here: https://globalyouth.wharton.upenn.edu/pre-baccalaureate-program/admissions/ Some of the courses that are taught in these sessions include: Consumer Behavior, Principles of Management, Introduction to Financial Markets and the Global Economy, and Introduction to Statistics and Data Science. 

Last but not least, University of Chicago introduced a summer student early notification (SSEN) which is available for any high school student who is entering their senior year and who also participated in a UChicago summer session program during any of their high school summers. However, keep in mind that this admissions plan is binding, just like Early Decision, but it allows students to get a decision back earlier. The deadline to apply SSEN is October 15, and students should hear back within 3 weeks of submitting their applications. For more information check out this link: https://summer.uchicago.edu/admitted-students/ssen 

We hope this information finds you well on your application to-do list! It helps to be prepared and aware of new changes when applying to colleges. As always, The College Sage is here to help, so contact us at thecollegesage.com to stay in the loop with new updates and changes.

Be Med vs. Pre Med!

It can be challenging for students who know what area they are interested in but have not gained enough experience to decide what field or where they want to go with their newfound interests. Luckily, The College Sage has done some research and has great news for students aspiring to work in the Medical Field. There are two separate tracks that we are excited about:  the Interdisciplinary Medical Science Major and the Early Assurance Program. 

First, let’s break down the Interdisciplinary Medical Science Major. At any participating school, this major consists of a rigorous science curriculum, specialized advising, and a course sequence to help students determine the career path that best fits their strengths. It is a great way for students who know they want to be in the medical field but are not sure exactly what they want to do, to have some guidance and personalized attention to hone their skills for a future career. Some of the possible career choices from graduating with this major include working in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, physician assistants, pharmaceuticals, and businesses. Interested in this major? One university pioneering this close link between pre-med curriculum and advising is Florida State University. The link to the FSU Interdisciplinary Medical Science Major outlining the details are listed below. 

Interdisciplinary Medical Science Majors

FSU: https://med.fsu.edu/imsDegree/home 

The IMS Major at FSU has three different tracks to choose from - Clinical Professions Major, Community Patient Care Major, and Health Management, Policy, and Information Major. To start, most students have to take basic math, like precalculus or algebra, and an introductory psychology class. In addition to that, students will take intro Biology, Chemistry, and Physics classes, and then go on to take Organic Chemistry I and II and Biochemistry. Lastly, students will get to take classes more tailored to their concentration/specialty.  In comparison, a typical Health Sciences major would require students to take biology, chemistry, and social sciences (psychology or econ). Then they would go into more specific areas like molecular biology, anatomy and physiology, and genetics. After that, in their last year or two of college, they would take courses to prepare them for their future careers, like health care technology, the US health system, ethics, leadership, management, global health, epidemiology, etc. Overall, both majors start with the same fundamental courses and as you progress through school, allow you to have more freedom with what you take next as it relates to your future career. While there are not many differences between the IMS Major and a Health Sciences Major, one pro of the IMS Major is that you can receive specialized guidance from advisors if you are undecided about what field of medicine to go into. For more information on health sciences majors check out the links below!

Typical courses: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/health-science-major-overview#:~:text=Common%20Coursework%20Health%20Science%20Majors%20Can%20Expect&text=Undergraduate%20students%20typically%20take%20biology,as%20psychology%2C%20sociology%20and%20economics.  

A second unique opportunity within the pre-med realm is the opportunity to apply for the Early Assurance (EA) Program. This program allows students who are not yet in college (or in their first or second year) to be accepted early into medical school. Once you have applied to your school’s program, you can be accepted contingent on meeting a certain minimum GPA and/ or MCAT score. These programs are highly selective and only accept a few students each year. 

While most colleges that offer this EA Program, do so only for current college sophomores and juniors (we list those schools at the end of this blog), we highlight a unique opportunity at Temple University and Case Western University that accepts incoming freshmen. 

Temple University allows qualified high school seniors to be accepted into the Katz School of Medicine upon the completion of their undergrad degree. They have two programs - the BA/MD program and the Pre-Med Health Scholar Program. The qualifications for the Temple University BA/MD EA program include: 

• Must apply and be accepted to Washington & Jefferson College

• Completion of a variety of AP coursework

• Minimum combined SAT score of 1350, minimum combined ACT score of 31

• Complete your baccalaureate degree at Washington and Jefferson & Medical Degree at Katz

The qualifications for the Temple University Pre-Med Health Scholar EA program include:

• Submit a Pre-Med Health Scholar Program application (and regular Temple University Application) and participate in an interview day at the undergraduate campus

• High school GPA of 3.8 or higher

• Minimum SAT score of 1350 or ACT of 32

Case Western University offers high school seniors an outstanding opportunity in their PreProfessional Scholars Program (PPSP). When applying, you can select either ED or RD, but keep in mind if you apply ED, your acceptance is binding regardless of whether or not you are accepted into the PPSP. Case Western has two separate programs, one for Dentistry, which takes about 10 students/year, and one for Medicine which takes about 15-20 students/year. 

The qualifications for the Dentistry EA program include:

• 7 years: 3 undergrad (but an undergrad degree is not required), 4 dental school

• GPA of 3.5 overall and in science

• A Perceptual Ability score of 18 or higher and an Academic Average score of 19 or higher on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) of the American Dental Association. The test must be taken no later than October of the third year.

• Successful completion of a SAGES First Seminar, two University Seminars, a SAGES writing portfolio, at least one course in the arts and humanities, at least one course in the social sciences, and two semesters of physical education.

• Interview with faculty after grades are received from the fall semester of junior year

• Completion of specific courses with a minimum of 30 credit hours in biology, chemistry, physics, and math

The qualifications for the Medicine EA program include:

• 8 years: 4 undergrad, 4 med school

• A CWRU cumulative GPA of 3.63 and a cumulative American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) GPA and AMCAS Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and MATH (BCPM) GPA of 3.63 at the time of application and maintained on final graduation transcripts.

• Pre-Professional Scholars in Medicine are not required to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) for the program. However, if they do take the MCAT, they are expected to achieve a score that is above the 94th percentile.

• Able to choose any undergrad degree at the university

Colleges that offer EA Programs to current college sophomores/juniors include:

• Wake Forest

• Albany

• BU

• ECU

• Dartmouth

• Mount Sinai

• Georgetown

• Northwestern

• Penn State

• Tulane

• Tufts

• UC Riverside

• UChicago

• Arizona

• Florida

• Kentucky

• Rochester

• Toledo

If any of these programs or majors look interesting to you, feel free to contact The College Sage! Our Sagers have gone on to the FSU Interdisciplinary Medical Science Major and one of those coveted 10 spots in the Dentistry Early Assurance Program at Case Western! We can help your college dreams come true!

Everything You Need to Know about the SRAR

When the SRAR began in 2022, students had a host of questions. However, the volume of questions and concerns are increasing as more and more colleges start to use this platform. So for starters, what is the SRAR? SRAR stands for Self Reported Academic Record and it is used to self report your academic transcript to increase admissions efficiency. Like the Common App which is a helpful platform for applications, there is a platform for submitting your grades for those colleges which require this. The SRAR asks for specific information regarding your GPA. class rank, SAT/ACT or AP scores and your completed overall grades in your classes that you received high school credit for. 

So why do we need the SRAR? While initially, it might feel like just another hoop to jump through, the SRAR actually simplifies the application process for many colleges. If you complete the SRAR once, you can send it to any participating university. Additionally, you will receive a confirmation once it is finished which means you don’t have to rely on your counselors sending over your high school transcript. 

How do I know which colleges use it? Thankfully, the SRAR put all of this information in one place, where we are able to navigate to the page with one click of this link: https://srarsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408738060315-Which-colleges-universities-accept-the-SSAR-SRAR Our most applied to colleges who use the SRAR include Clemson, University of TN, Florida State, NYU, University of Florida, and Virginia Tech. But check the list as there is a much longer and growing list!

How do I begin the SRAR? For teaching purposes, we created a tester account to go through the steps of creating the SRAR. To begin you are asked to enter your high school (or high schools if you have transferred). Then you include your class rank (if applicable), your GPA (both weighted and unweighted), the grading scale that your school uses, and the contact information for your high school counselor. Pay attention to your GPA and class rank to make sure that you are entering the weighted and unweighted GPAs or class ranks in the correct order. 

Courses and Grades

Next, you will be taken to a page where you can enter all of your grades that count for high school credit. This even includes middle school grades! For example, if you took Algebra 1, English 1, Geometry, etc. in middle school, these most likely are counted as high school credit. When entering your grades, be sure that everything is correct and matches your grades from your most recent transcript. In addition, pay attention to what year you took each class (what school grade) and also if your class was a year-long or a semester-long. If you are a rising senior and know what classes you will be taking next year, include the names of all classes and mark the grade as in progress.

Test Scores

Next, you will be asked to submit any test scores (ACT/SAT) or AP scores. Be sure you remember what you scored on each individual part of the ACT or SAT as they will ask for your individual score on each section, along with your composite score. Also, be sure to remember the date you took your exams! 

If there are certain schools where you do not wish to send your standardized test scores, or they are test-optional, you can opt out of sending your scores to various schools. Just go to the home page, scroll down to my colleges and universities, and choose “show details” for the colleges that you do not wish to send your test scores to. Choose Test Optional Preferences for ______ College, and then click Update Test Optional Preferences. The website will then bring you to a screen where you can select “yes” - share my test scores or “no” do not share my test scores. After choosing your answer, make sure to hit save. Just as a reminder, this only changes the preferences for the specific school that you selected, so be sure to do this process with any school you wish to be test-optional for. 

When including your AP scores, the SRAR website will give you a list of commonly taken AP courses. If yours is not listed, you can add it at the bottom. Lastly, you can upload any documents, like your transcript or resume, and then you are asked to review and submit them. Before submitting, make sure everything is as you see it written on your transcript. 

Warnings!

Be careful! Once you submit the SRAR to the schools of your choosing, you cannot go back and edit it. Also, be sure to check on your specific college’s website to see what their SRAR deadline is. Some are the same as when you would submit an Early Action or Regular Decision application, but not all, so be sure to check and stay on top of these deadlines. 

There you have it! This is everything you need to know about the SRAR. We hope that this information finds you well, and remember, for more helpful tips and tricks like this, contact The College Sage!

What Top % are You?

A beautiful walkway at UT Austin.

In recent years, we have watched an emerging trend of universities providing top high school students a guarantee that they will be admitted if they fall within a certain top percentage of their high school class. What does this mean for you? Well, it highlights the increasing necessity to “stand out” as an applicant if you’re below the top tier. And that is why we think The College Sage is so valuable to students. We work with students to help unleash their passions during high school and help them understand - at the beginning of high school - that their decisions matter! 

We have included a list of many of the states where colleges offer this guaranteed admission policy at the end of this blog. But let’s start by zeroing in on a few states that have really spearheaded the guaranteed admissions movement, Florida and Texas. Florida’s Top Twenty program enables public school students in the top 20% of their graduating class to a guaranteed spot in one of the state’s 12 public universities. Now each university will have different qualifications to guarantee acceptance at their schools. We did the math on this and found that there were approximately 194,000 public high school graduates from Florida in the 2023-2024 school year. Then we took 20% of that to find that 38,818 students would be guaranteed admittance to an in-state university - note this does not guarantee admittance to your first choice in-state university. Just as a comparison, UF has about 7,000 freshmen per year. Wow! So this means that if every Florida resident who scored in the top 20% of their high school was guaranteed admittance at UF and they all decided to attend, they could fill up the freshman class 5.5 times over! Of course, that won’t happen, because the top 20% of students will be granted admittance in one of 12 in-state public universities, but nevertheless it’s an interesting way to think of the competitive situation.

Next, we looked at the University of Texas at Austin. The initial Texas legislation passed into law in 1997, offered automatic admission to eligible students in the top 10 percent of their Texas high school class. In 2009, the law was modified for The University of Texas at Austin. Under the new law, the University must automatically admit enough students to fill 75 percent of available Texas resident spaces. Each fall, the University notifies Texas school officials of the class rank that current high school juniors need to attain by the end of their junior year in order to be automatically admitted. In 2023, UT Austin admitted 11,962 top 6% students of which 5,431 students enrolled in their freshman class. As you can see, this guaranteed admittance program definitely poses a threat to less qualified students applying to UT Austin and the out-of-state accepted student body is lower than at most other public universities across the country. Of the 9,367 students who enrolled in the freshman class, we estimate that less than 13% were from out of state.

The last university we are going to look at is one of the most recent to offer a guaranteed admissions program, the University of South Carolina. On August 1, 2023, USC announced it would elect to guarantee admission to the top 10% of South Carolina public and private high school graduates. Significantly lower than Florida and Texas, SC only had 49,660 public high school graduates and 2,170 private high school graduates. The top 10% of these graduates include 5,183 students. Additionally, USC Columbia enrolls about 6,500 freshman students in their freshman class. So, if the 5,183 students who landed in the top 10% of their classes decided to attend USC once they were guaranteed admission, that would take up approximately 80% of the freshman spots available. While approximately half of those top 10% of students already typically applied to USC, you can see how this new program is increasing visibility to another 50% of students who may not have believed they were an obvious fit to gain admittance.

While there’s both good and bad to guaranteeing admission to these state universities, one thing's for sure. If you’re not a top student or not a resident of that state, you probably need to contact thecollegesage.com now! Many states are placing more emphasis on requiring their public universities to admit more in-state students. This trend increases the selectiveness of schools across the country and hence, the need for students to stand out in order to have the best chance at admittance. 

Want to learn more? Here’s the full overview of guaranteed programs by state!

Colleges/states that offer a guaranteed program

• Florida (top 20%)

• Public universities: residents

• https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7754/urlt/TT-PBOG.pdf

• Tennessee (top 10%)

• University of Tennessee campuses (except UT Knoxville): residents

• https://www.highereddive.com/news/university-tennessee-10-percent-guaranteed-admissions/693189/ 

• California (top 9%)

• UC schools: residents

• https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/freshman-requirements/california-residents/statewide-guarantee/ 

• Arizona (top 25%)

• Arizona State University: residents or non-residents

• https://admission.asu.edu/apply/first-year/admission 

• South Carolina (top 10%)

• UofSC: residents

• https://jbhe.com/2023/08/university-of-south-carolina-to-admit-top-10-percent-of-every-high-school-graduating-class/ 

• CofC: SC residents

• Only in Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Orangeburg or Williamsburg counties

• https://today.cofc.edu/2015/09/29/top-10-percent-academic-success-program/ 

• Virginia (top 10%)

• Virginia Commonwealth, George Mason, VMI, Radford, UVA at Wise

• https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/education/virginia-schools-boosting-enrollment-guaranteed-acceptance-programs/291-c262978f-1081-428d-a8cc-6e5870d15d75#:~:text=Four%20other%20schools%20%2D%2D%20George,on%20its%20own%20program%2C%20too. 

• Wisconsin 

• All UW universities except UW Madison (top 10%)

• UW Madison requires top 5%

• https://www.wlhs.org/student-services-news?pk=1509892#:~:text=The%20Wisconsin%20Guarantee%20offers%20guaranteed,UW%20universities%20except%20UW%2DMadison. 

• Texas

• All public colleges (% may vary based on school)

• https://generalacademic.com/automatic-admission-in-texas/ 

• Louisiana 

• Tulane University (must apply ED1 or ED2)

• https://admission.tulane.edu/apply/louisiana 

• Georgia

• 22 technical colleges and 23/26 University System of Georgia Institutions

• https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/10/13/georgia-kicks-new-statewide-direct-admissions-program 

• Indiana

• Indiana State, Ivy Tech, Valparaiso University 

• https://www.highereddive.com/news/indiana-is-the-latest-state-to-offer-a-direct-college-admissions-program/691873/ 

• Michigan (3.0 GPA or higher)

• See link for participating schools

• https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/10-michigan-public-universities-commit-to-admitting-students-with-3-0-gpa-or-higher/#:~:text=Central%20Michigan%20University%2C%20Eastern%20Michigan,each%20agreed%20to%20participate%20in

A Sunny Idea for Affording Your Dream School in the Sunshine State

As previously discussed in our last blog, “Is The Bloom Off the Rose?”, the prices of tuition are still rising. Because of this, college tuition-paying parents are in need of any kind of shortcut to help reduce this financial burden. In past blogs, we have discussed regional compacts, opting for a 3-year plan versus 4-years, and highlighting the many merit scholarships that exist. Luckily, The College Sage is at the rescue with another great idea for all those strong students who may have Granny or Gramps living in the Sunshine State!

That’s right - we said grandparents! If you are unfamiliar with the “grandparent waiver” granted by Florida Statutes, it enables out-of-state applicants to 12 Florida universities including the University of Florida and Florida State University to apply for in-state tuition. If your student is interested in applying to UF, FSU or another of the Florida universities covered by this statute and also has a grandparent who is a legal resident of the state of Florida (qualifications outlined here http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1009/Sections/1009.21.html ) then you may qualify for in-state tuition! In addition, students must also first submit an application via the Common App and have an SAT (or ACT equivalent) score in the 89th percentile or higher. 

How do I know if my score is in the 89th percentile? Well, we used our handy friend, “The College Board” to locate the lowest possible SAT score you can receive to still qualify for in-state tuition. (link: https://research.collegeboard.org/reports/sat-suite/understanding-scores/sat) 

One piece of information that may be confusing is the difference between the National and the User groups. For the purpose of this article, we will be using the data from the User group, as it draws SAT scores from the past three years taken by students who preferred the SAT over the ACT. According to the data, the SAT lowest score that would still qualify for the 89th percentile would be about a 1340. Now we want to see what the ACT conversion score would be. Using the Princeton Review’s Score Conversion Table, a 1340 on the SAT would convert to a 29 on the ACT. (link: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/act-to-sat-conversion) 

If you have a grandparent living in Florida and have scored in the 89th percentile on either the SAT or the ACT, then you qualify to apply for in-state tuition at 12 Florida universities! Shortcuts like this can be extremely helpful for families unable to afford the rising prices of college tuition and are a great way to help your child attend the school of their dreams. We estimate that there are about 60 waivers given out annually at each UF and FSU, but you better apply strong and apply early. These waivers are extended on a first-come, first-serve basis. That’s why you need to contact thecollegesage.com! Our fees are often offset by students securing scholarships or funding they otherwise wouldn’t even know about. So pull out those sunglasses and call us now … because it’s cool to go to your dream school!

IS THE BLOOM OFF THE ROSE?

A few months ago my (now) son-in-law - a financial planner - asked me what I thought about the ongoing annual increases in college tuition. If he could reduce that annual increase input in his models, his clients would … well … be happier. “Absolutely” - I told him. “We’ve been on such an increase for so many years and for so many decades that it has to start stabilizing.” - I said with authority. Literally the next day, several colleges announced 3-5% annual increases again and the headlines were abuzz with “College will Cost up to $95,000 this fall.” (AP newswire April 2, 2024)  That got The College Sage thinking. While our paying clients aren’t generally seeking financial aid, at what point might they begin to qualify? Surely the old rules of thumb ($150,000 household income and $1.5m assets) are surely out of date with many colleges now having a cost of attendance approaching six digits. 

That’s when Lilly walked in. To gain more insight into establishing the current rule of thumb for college financial aid, I turned our fabulous College Sage summer intern Lilly loose on a great college cost estimator tool called “MyinTuition.org” that I have long admired. This quick college cost estimator allows families to input their personal statistics to fairly accurately gauge whether or not they will be offered financial aid. Now not all schools participate in the calculator tool so it doesn’t provide universal assistance, but the schools that subscribe to this website are made up of largely “Ivy Plus” private universities and well-ranked public colleges that are either on many client college lists or at a minimum, indicative for similar colleges not yet on the website. 

Here’s a snapshot of what you can learn using UVA’s page on MyinTuition.org as a demo. The images included below are examples of the types of questions each college poses. Not all ask about the state of residence or home equity, but most will include questions similar to these. Once you have finished answering each question, you will be shown a pie chart similar to the one below. The number listed in blue (need-based scholarship) represents the amount of financial aid you can expect based on your personal statistics. Word of warning - your output is only as good as the validity of your inputs! But if you’re honest with your inputs, the findings produced by MyinTuition provide a useful tool for predicting the parent/student expected contribution for a year of expenses at your dream college(s).

The first question from My inTuition asks about citizenship and living status.

Some colleges, including UVA, will ask for your state of residence.

This question is probably one of the most important ones, as you will see later in this blog.

Here you are asked to input your family’s total annual income.

More questions about investments/equity.

These questions ask about home equity value.

Almost done!

This is what your final outputs should look like. The number in blue (need-based scholarship) is what we’re looking for.

OK now let’s see what trends Lilly found while spending hours playing around with the site using the schools Boston College, Boston University, Tufts, Duke, Colgate, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UVA, Richmond, William and Mary, Washington and Lee, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard and Brown. 

Do siblings matter? If so, how much? While holding all other variables constant (i.e income, home value, investments etc.), we aimed to figure out how much having a sibling (or more than one sibling) affected the amount of financial aid predicted. Our conclusion is that there are big jumps in amounts of financial aid from having no siblings enrolled to having just one sibling enrolled. For example, the Duke University model generally implies $14,100 of aid to students with no siblings currently enrolled but the expected aid jumps to $41,400 if a sibling is already in college and $51,700 if two siblings are currently enrolled in college. That said, once a family reaches 2+ siblings currently enrolled in college, the financial aid amount remains the same. So conclusion number one: if you have one child enrolled in college but received no aid for that child, try try again with the next child!

What’s the new rule of thumb regarding income and assets? Switching gears to focus on income and net assets, we observed that no aid is likely for families reporting household income above $300,000/year or who have $2 million or more in net assets (your primary residence is almost always excluded from net assets). We computed the average aid amounts for families who report an annual net household income of  $100,000, $200,000, $300,000, and $400,000. For families making around $100k/year and net assets below $2m, the average financial aid you can expect to receive approached approximately $58,000. Families making around $200k/year can expect about $25,000 in financial aid. For those making $300k/year or more, this calculator suggests that financial aid is unlikely, with the exception of some of the well-endowed Ivies like Cornell, Dartmouth, and Brown who continued to grant aid at the higher income levels. The average amount of financial aid predicted from those three schools when making $300k + per year is around $6,300. 

Are there any regional comparisons to note? We decided to look at some of the hot spots for applications to see if we could gauge where families might find more aid. For example, we compared Boston College, Boston University, and Tufts, as they are all located in Boston. Out of the Boston schools, Boston University’s model implied the most aid for low-income students ($100k/year) coming in at $57,200, and middle-low income ($200k/year) coming in at $27,100. When comparing the Virginia schools (UVA, Richmond, William and Mary, and Washington and Lee), Richmond offered the most aid to lower-income students at $52,200 and middle-low-income students at $19,000 while William and Mary’s model predicted the least aid. 

Is there a correlation between financial aid forecasts and endowment size? Lastly, we looked at whether or not “richer” schools, as measured by endowment/student, tended to offer more financial aid than lesser-endowed colleges. Typically, you would think that the greater the endowment size, more financial aid is able to be offered, but that is not always the case. For example, in Duke vs. Colgate, we found that Duke provides more aid for lower-income students, at around $66,600, and $29,900 for middle-low-income students but Colgate, with a significantly lower endowment/student, is still attempting to match Duke level aid. For Georgetown vs. Notre Dame, Georgetown offered significantly more aid for lower-income students, at around $57,500 and $25,800 for middle-low-income students than Notre Dame even though endowment statistics might suggest the opposite. By and large, the Ivies seem to offer more aid than most others. In analyzing the Ivy League schools, we concluded that Dartmouth offers the most financial aid for lower-income students, at $84,300 and Brown offers the most financial aid for middle-low-income students at $44,550. Another interesting point of note is how the Ivy League schools are generally offering more financial aid to middle-low income students than the rest of the schools pictured. The chart below shows a snapshot of willingness to provide financial aid and average endowment/student.

*When calculating the maximum aid for each of the schools given the student comes from a middle-low income family, we used the same number of assets and income throughout. Notre Dame proves to be an outlier, stating that they only provide $200 of aid for middle-low income families. However, according to their website ( https://admissions.nd.edu/aid-affordability/estimate-your-cost/ ) , it says students can expect to receive around $33,000 of aid, given that they are middle-low income. In case of any confusion, we wanted to mention the differences between the MyinTuition website and the Notre Dame admissions page.

What will happen when more and more families need more aid? With the ongoing rise in the cost of college, more people are in need of financial aid. Will the high cost of college finally knock the bloom of the rose? At The College Sage, we believe it is vitally important for students to have a full understanding of family implications from these rising prices alongside their parents, as they may also be needed to pitch in for certain college expenses and/or at a minimum, prioritize academics when they get to college. Even completing college a semester or year early is a helpful way to offset the total cost of college - a trend we increasingly see and advocate for. Who says four years needs to be a standard? With so many students completing a full year (or more) of college credits during high school, perhaps three is the new four? And if you’re on the six-year plan, well … ouch! We hear from parents time and time again that one of the benefits of engaging a counselor like The College Sage is that we help the student recognize that college is a material life cost. It needs to be taken seriously. We help find the right fit, investigate the appropriate major choices to minimize costly changes, and we help the students enter college with appropriate respect for the academic obligations that come with the gift of a college education. So while college counseling might come at a price, we feel pretty confident that The College Sage helps families make better decisions, especially in ongoing rising college costs.

We continue to expect the college environment to shift, bifurcate, and morph further into “the haves” and “the have-nots.” The “haves” generally have strong endowments and low acceptance rates. Studies prove that the percentage of undergraduate families who pay the full price of college generally decreases as the acceptance rates increase. There are many reasons why this might be the case, but one of the most important ones is that people place higher perceived value on more elite colleges based on their rankings and acceptance statistics. According to studentaidpolicy.com, it is shown that for schools with acceptance rates of less than 10% to 19%, approximately 50% of incoming freshmen will pay full price. As the acceptance rates increase to 20%-29% and 30%-39%, the percentage of students who pay full price decreases to almost 30%. 

It’s no surprise, then, to find that Early Decision students often similarly make up around half of a total incoming class for “The Haves.” Most Early Decision students make an agreement with the school that they will attend if they get accepted since they are generally willing and able to pay full price. When looking at the College Investor’s 2024 list of the 30 most expensive colleges, 23 colleges reported data about their ED admit statistics. Of the 23, 14 of them had 50% or more of their total class taken up by ED admits. We will say that again … over 60% of the most expensive colleges take in over half of their annual enrollment through Early Decision! Why do the colleges that are more expensive than most have a majority ED population in their classes? Well, the answer comes from what we just covered. When ED students form an agreement with the school, they effectively agree to pay full price, thereby giving the university more secure funding.

Here we compared ED admitted students (in percentages of their total incoming class) to the top 23 most expensive schools (it is actually Top 30, but 7 schools did not report).

There are many headlines about “the coming student enrollment cliff.” Over the coming years, there is predicted to be a decline in the number of college-bound students. This was initially caused by the 2008 recession, which resulted in the number of births declining thereby leading to fewer children who would begin college starting in 2025. But that’s not the entire story. During the pandemic, people began to completely reevaluate major life goals - including the value of college and careers. They could more easily turn to online learning, community college courses became free or very inexpensive in many states, job turnover increased and career ambitions took a backseat to wellness. Combined with lower ongoing birth rates, colleges are beginning to plan for a decline in the amount of students who will attend a typical 4-year college. And with many colleges already struggling with negative budgets and declining enrollments, the outlook is murky.

So should we expect college to be more expensive but maybe easier to get into? Unfortunately, the interesting point is that the predicted number of students who will attend an “elite” or Ivy plus school is expected to rise! Will these elite colleges be able to hang on to their full-price-paying students as prices continue to rise even higher? Well, at The College Sage, we would attest that yes, they will. Most of these elite colleges take over half of their profit from full paying, ED students. Since the US as a whole perceives a higher value in the more elite, low-acceptance rate schools, students will continue to apply to, pay full price for, and enroll in these colleges. Regardless of a price increase, the perceived benefits of “The Haves” make families willing to pay full price for quality education. In our view, the college roses will likely bloom like usual. But if you’re not a rose … ouch, you might get stung.

So keep saving and contact The College Sage now. We’ll do everything we can to help you enroll in your dream school and afford it too!