Some admissions officers and college counselors said they were unsurprised by College Boardâs decision to discontinue the SAT Subject Tests and SAT with essay, but remain unsure about how the decision will impact the admissions process going forward.
College Board announced on Jan. 19 it would no longer offer the Subject Tests or the SATâs optional essay section, citing the need to adapt to ânew realities and changes to the college admissions process.â While the College Board will continue to offer the SAT, many schools â including Harvard College â recently made the decision to remove standardized testing requirements for the upcoming application cycle due to the coronavirus crisis.
Applications to Virginia Tech have exploded.
When the university garnered national headlines in 2019 by enrolling hundreds more freshmen than expected, a record 31,974 prospective students had applied to the school.
This year, the university has received 42,084 applications.
Pandemic uncertainty and the optionâinstead of requirementâto submit standardized tests have helped boost applications at top-tier schools nationwide, with those such as the College of William and Mary, New York University and Harvard University all reporting record-breaking numbers this year.
Virginia Tech is not one of those. The record interest reflects a 36% increase in applications from when 30,875 applicants sought admission at the same time last year.