Dickinson College Moves to Test-Blind Admissions for This Year

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Dickinson President Margee Ensign sent the following email to the Dickinson community announcing that the college will become one of the first liberal-arts colleges in the U.S. to move to a test-blind admissions process for this year:

To the Dickinson Community:

Throughout the global pandemic, we have been guided by our desire to keep our community as safe as possible. We were among the first to announce a decision to go fully remote for fall because we knew it was the right decision for us. Now, as we watch other campuses struggle with unfortunate virus outbreaks, we are fortunate that we can proceed with our semester uninterrupted.

Today, I am announcing another decision, this one made to protect the health and safety of future Dickinsonians. Effective immediately, we will become one of the first liberal-arts colleges in the U.S. to move to a test-blind admissions process for this year. We have heard from countless students, parents and college counselors in the past several months about the anxiety students are feeling because the COVID-19 virus has disrupted access to standardized tests, such as SATs and ACTs. Testing availability has decreased dramatically both nationally and internationally, disproportionately impacting already marginalized students. In addition, there are potential health risks with taking the tests. For all of these health, equity and fairness reasons, we have made this decision. By declaring that we are test blind, the admissions committee will not factor testing scores into a decision about enrollment, even if scores are submitted.

While we have been test optional since 1994, we believe we need to go further to alleviate student concerns so that they will avoid crowded testing centers and make decisions for the health and safety of their families.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Vice President for Enrollment Management Cathy Davenport ’87 or me.

Sincerely,

Margee M. Ensign
President


Vice President for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions Catherine McDonald Davenport '87 explains the decision

Learn more in our test-blind FAQ.

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Published September 3, 2020