On the heels of Harvard announcing that it was reversing its decision to stay test-optional for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, Caltech has announced that it too will again require first-year applicants to submit their SAT or ACT scores to be considered for admission.
In sharing the decision with high school counselors, Caltech’s Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Ashley M. Pallie, noted that “since our test-free moratorium was put into place, we have seen an increasing number of enrolling students who have taken an exam. For fall 2021, that number was 81%. For the class that entered in fall 2023, more than 95% of students had test scores. These scores were not visible to the admissions office until after final admissions decisions were made.” This is because Caltech had decided in 2020 to be ‘test-free’ in its admissions process, whereas most other selective colleges and universities in the United States only became ‘test-optional’ in 2020. In a ‘test-free’ environment, a student’s test scores, even if a student wants to submit them, are not considered in any way, shape, or form.
Pallie also made clear that Caltech is continuing to look “for students who are unabashedly and overwhelmingly passionate about STEM and have showcased a clear alignment with our research mission. With this decision, we remain committed to our review process that seeks to identify these most promising STEM scholars. Standardized test scores provide one additional data point in our holistic review process.”
“Caltech has a distinctive approach to undergraduate admissions that involves both professional admissions staff and faculty. Our faculty are scientists and engineers who always consider all available data and in science, we would never dismiss a variable. Recognizing that more than 95% of our enrolling students have that testing variable (fewer than 10 did not), the admissions reviewers should be able to see it and use that data in the context of the unique circumstances and experiences of students.” Pallie added.
Before Caltech’s application for fall 2025 goes live in August, its admissions office will share more detailed communication around the institutions’s updated application requirements.
“We are proud of the students we’ve enrolled over the last several years and confident in the steps we’ve taken to enhance our ability to identify students who will succeed at – and beyond – Caltech,” says Provost David Tirrell.
