Economic diversity is a hot topic in higher education these days. Low-income student enrollment is slightly up at some institutions. To note, enrollment increased much more for affluent students, and there is much room for improvement.
In a recent report, the American Talent Initiative (ATI), a group of 135 institutions seeking to increase economic diversity, attributed the progress to increased investments in financial aid, as well as members committing to increase the number of Pell-eligible students.
Another factor could be testing policy. Almost all ATI members were test-optional or test-free during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 admissions cycles, where institutions saw the most growth in low-income student enrollment. Over the years, studies have linked test-optional to some growth in both racial/ethnic and economic diversity.
Despite these patterns, some elite institutions have backed away from test-optional, contending that it actually undermines diversity and results in enrolling academically unprepared students. Given these claims, we were curious to understand how test-optional affected students’ lives during the application process and after enrollment. In a new report supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, our team interviewed 96 students, admissions professionals, faculty, and staff at two selective state flagship institutions.
Admissions staff talked about how test-optional opened up access across the state, especially in parts that typically sent fewer students to the flagship. As one staff member commented, “we all see that there are many students that are very capable of being very successful that may not have stellar test scores ultimately.”
Students described how they were unable to prepare the test, which made them view test-optional admissions positively. One student who worked multiple jobs during high school described “kind of going in blind” to the test. Test preparation fell to the wayside in a high school marked by broken equipment, food insecurity, and high teacher turnover.
We were curious if students who applied without test scores felt any disadvantage once enrolled. Were they out of their league, as some suggest? On the contrary, students spoke positively about their college experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom. A staff member noted that when students admitted via test-optional faced academic challenges, the state flagship was able to provide the support they needed to persist. In turn, students persevered, graduated, and benefited from the institution’s reputation.
