College of Saint Rose makes exams optional for admission

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Goot

The College of Saint Rose on Monday became the latest local school to make SAT and ACT exams optional for admission beginning in 2013.

Mary Grondahl, vice president for enrollment management, said the college made the decision because performance in high school has been shown to predict more accurately how well students perform in college. Saint Rose officials spent a year analyzing data from its own students.

“We found in every single instance, using every type of statistical analysis tool, that high school [grade-point average] far and away was more highly correlated to successful completion of the first year at The College of Saint Rose,” she said.

Also, the National Association of College Admission Counseling recommended that colleges study use of standardized test data because there has been significant research showing the tests are biased toward certain ethnic groups in the types of questions and how they are worded, according to Grondahl.

She said admissions officials evaluate high school transcripts to determine the difficulty of courses the student took and adjust the GPA accordingly. Enrollment in Advanced Placement or honors courses carries more weight than regular Regents classes, she said.

The college also looks at letters of recommendation, activities students are involved in and leadership qualities that they possess. Interviews are also strongly encouraged.

“Looking at the whole person is always important to us,” she said.

However, students seeking scholarships based on academic achievement, athletes and home-schooled students still will be required to submit SAT or ACT scores. International students can submit either of those tests or the Test of English as a Foreign Language score.

“We think this will allow us to broaden our reach and range and attract students who are really bright students and who are really well-qualified but who might not otherwise look at The College of Saint Rose because of concerns about testing,” Grondahl said.