MIT Drops SAT Subject Tests

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will no longer consider the submission of SAT Subject Test scores. The school is not just going SAT Subject Tests-optional. As MIT is not a Common Application subscriber, the school will not offer a place on their unique application for applicants to list any SAT Subject Tests they’ve taken. The announcement was made today by Stu Schmill, MIT’s admissions dean.

MIT Not Only Won’t Require But Won’t Accept SAT Subject Tests

As Schmill writes on MIT’s admissions site, “MIT has made the decision to no longer consider the SAT Subject Tests as part of the admissions process…I’m happy to announce our decision to discontinue the use of subject tests starting with the 2020-21 admissions cycle for first-year and transfer admissions (for students entering MIT in 2021 and beyond). We made this decision after considerable study, in consultation with our faculty policy committee. We believe this decision will improve access for students applying to MIT.”

MIT Will Continue to Require SAT or ACT

Schmill continues, “We will continue to require the SAT or the ACT, because our research has shown these tests, in combination with a student’s high school grades and coursework, are predictive of success in our challenging curriculum. While we know these tests are not perfect, they do provide an informative and consistent measure of a student’s academic potential in a world where high school experiences vary so widely, and they allow us to admit students from across the country — and the globe — who we are confident will thrive and succeed at MIT…In fairness to all applicants, we won’t consider [SAT Subject Tests] for anyone. We think it would be unfair to consider scores only from those who have scored well and therefore choose to send them to us. They are neither recommended nor optional; they are simply not a part of our process anymore.”

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