Preparing to enter college is always an exciting time, yet it doesn’t look the same for everyone. In fact, trends in college admissions come and go, making students’ experiences differ from one year to the next. You may find it helpful to examine recent trends as you prepare your college applications, including the following:
Test Scores May Still Be Optional
One of the biggest trends in college admission involves standardized testing. It’s good news for college applicants who tend to get a little nervous about taking major tests.
The SAT® and ACT® have long been considered standard tests in college admissions. In fact, some students spend hours every week preparing for the exams. Some even spend years in advance, as test scores can play a significant role in whether a school accepts a particular applicant. However, leading up to 2020, a small number of higher education institutions were deciding to eliminate the test score submission requirement.1
In 2020, the onset of the pandemic and the difficulty of in-person testing made this trend more popular than ever.1 Many schools became test-optional, and some took the further step of becoming test-blind. (A test-optional school will view test scores but does not require them, whereas a test-blind school will not even accept test scores.)
Although some universities have transitioned back to requiring test scores for the class of 2024’s college admission process, many others have not.2 College admissions tests may no longer reign supreme as they once did, but you may still need test scores when applying to certain schools.2 Scoring well may give you an edge when submitting to test-optional schools.3 In addition, a high test score may enable some students to qualify for more merit-based financial aid.3
Grand Canyon University, for example, does not require undergraduate applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores if they have an unweighted high school GPA of at least 3.0. If you have an unweighted high school GPA of at least 2.5, you might still be considered for admission if you can demonstrate a composite ACT test score of 19 or higher or a composite SAT test score of 1000 or higher.
You Might Not Have To Submit an Essay
The college admissions essay, also known as a personal statement, has long been a staple of the application package. For many years, college applicants have written responses to common essay prompts, such as reflecting on a time in which they questioned a belief or idea, describing lessons learned when facing failure, or exploring an event or accomplishment that led to personal growth.
Although some college applicants may find it easy to write essays about themselves, others dread this particular part of the application. Luckily for them, many schools are accepting alternatives to the written essay.
Artificial intelligence (AI) programs like ChatGPT have become worrisome for college admission personnel because they can potentially be used to draft admission essays (a form of cheating).4 In response, schools are increasingly accepting alternatives, such as video-recorded introductions. Some schools are even accepting portfolios of either academic or creative work, or past writing samples that include a teacher’s written feedback.5
At some institutions, no essay or essay alternative is required. At GCU, for example, there is no university-wide requirement for a personal statement or essay. Do note, however, that some individual programs may still require an essay.
More Students Prefer the Advantage of Early Applications
It’s customary for schools to have hard application deadlines, but in years past, they have also made the shift toward having multiple hard application deadlines. For the class of 2024, college admissions trends include a definite rise in the number of early applications being submitted.2 In order to understand this trend, it’s helpful to know the difference between the types of admission.
Regular admission, also known as regular decision, is the standard type of admission. Most schools’ regular decision deadlines are between Jan. 1 and 15 each year.6 Applicants generally receive a decision in March or April.
Early action allows students to submit their applications much earlier (October or November) and potentially get an earlier decision. The admission decision is non-binding and students typically have until May 1 to respond. (At some schools, there are two rounds of early action with two deadlines.)
Early decision is similar to early action, but it’s binding. If you apply early decision and are accepted, you are already committed to attending that school. These deadlines are typically in November.
Applying early action or early decision is thought to give students an advantage in the competitive college admissions landscape, particularly for highly selective schools. This is because schools are more likely to accept a higher proportion of students who apply early than those who apply via regular admission.7 Doing so typically improves the school's yield rates (percentage of admitted students who chose to enroll), and yield rates can affect school rankings.8
