Yale University Updates UG Admission Policy; AP, IB Score Now Valid

Yale University has updated their undergraduate admissions process with the announcement of a new policy on standardised testing for first-year and transfer applicants. The university is now expanding the list of tests that will be acceptable for undergraduate admissions.

Yale will once again require test results from all applicants, following four years of allowing applicants to choose whether or not to submit their results. However, in addition to the SAT and ACT, it will also add the AP and IB exams to the list of tests that meet the requirements, according to an official statement.

The varsity will now accept applications with scores from the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams submitted in place of the ACT or SAT for the first time.

Yale made this decision after observing that, among other things, test results painted a broad picture. When applicants submit their applications without test results, students attending high schools with limited resources may unintentionally provide admissions officers with little proof of their Yale readiness. Students from these high schools increase the committee’s confidence that they will succeed academically in college when they submit their applications with a score, even if it is lower than Yale’s median range. According to Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of Yale University’s undergraduate admissions and financial aid, “Our research strongly suggests that requiring scores of all applicants serves to benefit and not disadvantage students from under-resourced backgrounds.”

We now have the data to support that subject-based exams like the AP and IB also predict Yale grades, even when controlling for other factors, and I like that the addition of the new test types shifts some of the focus away from the ACT and SAT.

The varsity also added that the students who have not completed any AP or IB exams before their senior year of high school should ensure that they complete the ACT or SAT.