University of Austin’s 'Merit-First Admissions' automatically admits students based on test scores
Students who score above a 1460 on the SAT, 33 on the ACT, or 105 on the CLT will receive automatic admission and a full-tuition scholarship.
Campus Reform has reported a trend of academic institutions reinstating standardized testing requirements for admissions, including Dartmouth College and MIT.
The University of Austin in Texas is implementing a “merit-first admissions” policy that automatically admits students who pass a certain standardized test score threshold.
The university announced on Monday that students who score “1460+ on the SAT, 33+ on the ACT, or 105+ on the CLT” will be “automatically admitted,” and those with even higher scores--totaling more than 1550, 35, and 113 on the SAT, ACT, and CLT respectively--could potentially receive the $100,000 Lonsdale Magaro Build Scholarship.
The university requires applicants to submit their high school transcript or a GED certificate, and notes that “[n]o essays, extracurriculars, or GPAs are considered” for students who pass the standardized test scoring thresholds.
In its announcement, the university called current college admissions in higher education “biased,” “broken,” and “unjust,” before presenting its merit-based admissions policy as a solution, saying: “We care about two things: Intelligence and courage.”
[RELATED: University of Miami is latest college to reinstate mandatory standardized testing]
As part of its condemnation of other schools’ admissions policies, the University of Austin also stated that “[s]tudents spend high school anxiously stacking their résumés with hollow activities, then collect generic recommendation letters and outsource their essays to tutors or AI. Admissions at elite colleges now come down to who you know, your identity group, or how well you play the game. This system rewards manipulation, not merit.”
Students who score below or equal to the new thresholds can still join the school through the regular admissions process, and will be ranked based off of their standardized test scores, as well as their “AP scores (4-5), IB scores (5-7), or SAT Subject Tests (700+).”
Campus Reform has reported a trend of academic institutions reinstating standardized testing requirements for admissions.
Dartmouth College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Miami are among the list of institutions to reinstate standardized testing policies.
The University of Austin states it is a place where “students, faculty, and scholars have the right to pursue their academic interests and deliberate freely, without fear of censorship or retribution.”
The university hosts a program called “Forbidden Courses” that encourages thought and debate among students surrounding controversial topics like gender ideology and “the decline of democracy.”
“Our students will learn the foundations, blessings, and challenges of a free and prosperous society…They will appreciate the distinct vitality of the American form of government and way of life,” Provost and Dean of Intellectual Foundations Jacob Howland states on the university’s website.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Austin for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
