USD Approves “Test Blind” Admissions Procedure for Upcoming Admissions Cycle

The University of San Diego (USD) has decided to become a “test blind” campus and pledges not to view an incoming student’s standardized tests during the admissions process. At the end of May, USD adopted an optional-testing admissions process. The announcement to become a “test blind” campus furthers the university’s commitment to increase academic access and social equity, as well as provide an admissions process that is fair and equitable for all students.  

“There are continuing inequities in the availability of test opportunities and scarcity of test sites, which has further widened the gap between those with means and those without. Students with means are more likely to have the ability to sit for an exam, perhaps more than once.  Poorer communities have fewer opportunities for students to test at all,” said Stephen Pultz, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment at USD. 

USD made the optional-testing admissions decision in the spring, not based on the pandemic or its impact on testing, but rather based on USD’s goals to create a diverse and inclusive community of students by offering equitable access to standardized testing for all students.  Since then, hundreds of colleges and universities have also decided to be test-optional for this admission cycle, largely because of the challenges the pandemic has caused in the availability of testing.  

“There are growing concerns about the safety of the students who are fortunate enough to secure a place, given fears about the spread of COVID-19.  In addition, for all students and parents, the perception that they must have a test score in order to be competitive in the admissions process , despite a test-optional policy in place, is causing tremendous stress and anxiety,” added Pultz.

According to FairTest, USD joins nearly 60 other institutions that have also adopted a “test blind” policy. The new “test blind” admission procedure will begin with the entering class of 2021.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.