On April 9, Satyajit Dattagupta, Tulane dean of admission and vice president of enrollment management, announced that applications for admittance into Tulane’s Class of 2025 will be test-optional. This decision follows the wave of stress and uncertainty that has befallen current high school juniors as their standardized tests have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the coming application cycle, students will be able to choose whether to include their ACT or SAT scores or refrain from submitting either. The Tulane Office of Undergraduate Admissions will continue to evaluate applications from a holistic perspective, and students will not be penalized for not including their standardized test scores. Applications are evaluated based on the student’s grade point average, academic rigor, essays, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores if included, and their involvement outside of the classroom.

All students will be considered for merit-based financial aid regardless of whether or not they submit their standardized test scores. 

Tulane joins numerous universities across the country which have decided to become test-optional. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic more than 1,000 colleges in the U.S. were test-optional, and this number continues to grow for those completing their applications in the fall of 2020.

While Tulane’s test-optional policy will only remain in effect for students applying for the Class of 2025, other universities have recently chosen to extend their test-optional policies for the next few years or, in some cases, permanently. Tufts University and Davidson College are experimenting with a test-optional policy for the next three years while the University of Oregon and Oregon State University have committed to making their applications test-optional indefinitely. 

English language proficiency continues to remain a requirement for admission to Tulane. The International English Language Testing System  or Test of English as a Foreign Language are required for students who are non-native English speakers. Students may be exempt from these tests with an ACT English section score of 27+ or 600+ on the SAT reading/writing section. In extenuating circumstances applicants’ English language proficiency may be evaluated through an essay or interview, but the TOEFL and IELTS remain the preferred means of assessment. 

Students can select a test-optional application on the Common Application or Tulane Application. They are also able to submit their standardized test scores as a supplement to their test-optional application. 

For more information on Tulane’s test-optional policy, contact Satyajit Dattagupta by email at [email protected].