Test-optional admissions policies show mixed links to graduation rates, new study finds

New analysis finds no overall changes in retention or graduation, but differences by institutional selectivity

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Test-optional undergraduate admissions policies adopted before the COVID-19 pandemic were not linked to measurable changes in overall student retention or six-year graduation rates, according to new research from RTI International, an independent scientific research institute.

The study, published in Educational Researcher, examined whether removing standardized test score requirements is associated with two widely used measures of student success: first-year retention and 6-year graduation rates. Across the full group of institutions studied, the analysis did not find statistically significant changes in either outcome following test-optional adoption. But results differed when institutions were grouped by how selective their admissions processes were.

“These policies are often discussed as a single shift in practice,” said author Chris Bennett, Ph.D., an education research analyst at RTI. “What this study adds is evidence that the relationship between test-optional adoption and graduation rates can look different depending on an institution’s admissions context.”

At institutions with more competitive admissions, test-optional adoption was associated with about a 2-percentage-point increase in six-year graduation rates for men, women and White students. At institutions with less competitive admissions, test-optional adoption was associated with about a 2-percentage-point decrease in six-year graduation rates for White students, while other changes were not statistically significant.

The analysis focused on institutions that voluntarily adopted test-optional policies prior to 2020, using national institution-level data from the U.S. Department of Education. To account for the fact that schools adopted test-optional policies in different years, the study used a statistical approach designed for staggered policy adoption, comparing changes in outcomes for early adopters with changes for later adopters over the same period.

The paper also highlights important limitations for interpreting institution-level outcomes. Bennett notes that future research using student-level data would be valuable for understanding more about the impact of test-option admissions policies.

Read the full study

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