SAT resurgence: Yale is latest elite college to drop test-optional policy

Yale is the latest university to reverse its pandemic-era test-optional policy and will again require standardized tests scores to apply, underscoring a debate in higher education over how to best vet prospective students.

Why it matters: The correlation between SAT and ACT results and future student success is complicated, surrounded by conflicting research and points of view among school administrators and education advocates.

Admissions officers have pointed to varied research on whether test scores or GPA are more accurate predictors of students' college performance and eventual graduation rates.

What's happening: Yale said on Thursday that it would resume requiring test scores of all applicants, expanding from the SAT/ACT to also include AP and IB exam results.

Fall 2024 applicants are still subject to the test-optional policy.