Le Moyne adopts test-optional admissions policy

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College has adopted a test-optional admissions policy for prospective students applying to begin study in the Fall 2016 semester.

The students will have the option of submitting their SAT or ACT scores or withholding them for consideration as part of the admission process, Le Moyne said in a news release Monday.

The SAT and the ACT are both standardized tests that colleges and universities use in considering a student for admission.

“This decision, part of a growing trend in higher education, is aligned very closely with the mission of Le Moyne College, which has a strong history of welcoming first-generation students,” Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne, said in the news release. “While it’s true that standardized tests can provide one indication of the qualifications of students applying to Le Moyne, we strongly believe that by becoming test optional, our applicant pool will include more students from demographic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented.”

More than 800 U.S. colleges and universities are test optional, Le Moyne said, adding that it has “for some time” been thinking about adopting that policy as well.

Prospective students still have the option of submitting standardized test scores, but will not be at a “disadvantage” if they don’t submit those scores.

Le Moyne College in recent years has put an “increasing reliance” for admission on other criteria, including high-school transcripts; the “rigor” of completed course work; extracurricular activities; community involvement; essays; and personal recommendations, the college noted.

“Our goal is to attract students who are not only exceptional scholars, but will also become involved with other key elements of the Le Moyne educational experience, such as service-learning and student clubs,” Bill Cheetham, assistant vice president for enrollment management, explained. “By increasing our reliance on factors other than standardized tests, we will be able to conduct a more holistic review of the criteria necessary to predict student success.”

Le Moyne anticipates that the policy change will serve to “expand the breadth of the applicant pool.”

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com