Haverford Admission Goes Test-Optional

Beginning with the admission process for students entering in Fall 2021, Haverford is adopting a test-optional admission policy for a three-year period.

The move was driven by the significant disruptions the pandemic is causing for prospective students, said Jess Lord, Haverford’s vice president and dean of Admission and Financial Aid. “We believe this change to our standardized testing policy will reduce stress and provide students with much greater flexibility as they navigate a college admission process that is unfolding much differently than expected.”

The new policy, said Lord, also aligns closely with Haverford’s mission and core values. “We have always taken a holistic approach to evaluating students for admission, including making our admission decisions by consensus, and we embrace an approach that is mindful of how the admission process impacts students,” he said. “We also believe that further limiting the role that standardized testing plays in our process strengthens Haverford’s leadership in and commitment to access, diversity, and inclusion.”

Moving forward, first-year and transfer candidates may choose whether or not to submit the results of the SAT and/ or the ACT as a part of their applications. “While standardized testing has traditionally played only a small role in our evaluations,” said Lord, “we are eager to better understand the impact a test-optional policy will have on how students experience our application process and on our ability to build a diverse, talented, and dynamic community of scholars at Haverford.”