At some universities, SAT and ACT scores are used to award merit scholarships, in addition to being a metric for admissions. (Merit scholarships are awarded regardless of a student’s family’s financial status and based on an applicant’s qualifications, like GPA and SAT or ACT scores.) Many parents are concerned that their children will miss merit scholarship opportunities, if they do not or cannot submit test scores.
In surveying several admissions officers around the US, all understand the circumstances beyond students control, like cancelled SAT and ACT administrations, and will consider the larger context when determining admissions and merit aid. Others have shared that, as is their previous, pre-COVID policy, they will not consider SAT and ACT scores in merit scholarship considerations.
Since the merit scholarship awarding policy is individual to each college, parents should contact each admissions office to ask about their particular merit scholarship policies. Then, applicants can understand if they can submit alternative information to be considered for merit scholarships, or whether or not apply to a particular college.
To learn more how experts at Creative Marbles Consultancy, a full service educational advisory, help families resolve complex college admissions concerns, click creativemarbles.com
