Standardized test scores and GPAs never tell the whole story. Median family income, access to Advanced Placement courses, local crime rates and other key indicators help admissions officers see the full picture and provide crucial context to help identify high-achieving students from disadvantaged communities. These are students whom universities might otherwise overlook. Tools that give context level the playing field-not by lowering standards, but by lifting students up according to their merit and the obstacles they have overcome.
Jessica Custer was the editor of her high school paper growing up in Hardwick, New Jersey. She was also a member of the biology team, the chemistry team, the chess club, and the debate club. That résumé got her accepted to a whole slew of prestigious colleges, including Georgetown, Princeton, and Harvard. But in 1995, she made a different choice, one that she believed would set her up for a bright future.
The president and the Republican Party have launched a relentless campaign for what they call merit-based admissions and against any aspect of the holistic admissions process they've deemed a "proxy" for race. The question of whether admissions professionals can continue do their jobs under those circumstances was a constant undercurrent of the 2025 National Association for College Admission Counseling conference last week. But despite the concerns of attendees, the association and many panelists sent a clear message that all hope isn't lost for the admission process as we know it.
"As federal and state policy continues to evolve around how institutions use demographic and geographic information in admissions, we are making a change to ensure our work continues to effectively serve students and institutions,"
The standardized tests used for college admissions-tests like the SAT, ACT, LSAT, and GMAT-are some of the most reliable measurement instruments available. They reflect an enormous investment of expertise, time, and money-the gold standard of test design. If there's a good match between a standardized test and the learning experiences a college provides, test scores can provide valuable information on which students are likely to do best in a challenging college program.
In March 2019, Rick Singer pled guilty to federal charges-including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice-for his role in what was widely-publicized as the 'Varsity Blues' college admissions scheme.
