WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster faculty on Monday officially adopted a test-optional admission process beginning for the fall 2021 entering class. Applicants will have the option to submit ACT or SAT test scores as part of Wooster’s admission process, but they will not be required to do so.

“The College of Wooster is committed to building and supporting a diverse community of students from across the country and around the world,” said Sarah Bolton, president of The College of Wooster. “Our students come to Wooster from many types of experiences and high schools, and we are excited to take this next step to creating the most equitable and accessible admissions process, with a more holistic approach that presents the fewest barriers possible.”

Wooster’s admission process gives due consideration to many different expressions of a student’s achievements and abilities. Students are encouraged to present application materials that most accurately reflect their diverse academic talents and potential, including: scholastic achievements, application essay, school profile, letters of recommendation, leadership and service, extracurricular activities, and any other information that shows promise to contribute to the intellectual and social life of a distinct academic community.

“Tests only provide a very small amount of additional information on student readiness for Wooster,” said Scott Friedhoff, vice president for enrollment. “For nearly all students, high school grades and coursework provide our admissions team all we need on academic preparedness. A team of our own students from Wooster’s Applied Methods and Research Experience (AMRE) confirmed this in a recent validity study.”

Students may choose to submit either their ACT or SAT scores if they feel those results best represent their academic potential. The admission committee makes no assumptions about differences between students who choose to submit scores and those who do not. All students will be given equal consideration in the admission process. All applicants, regardless of whether they submit test scores or not, will be eligible for Wooster’s academic and merit-based scholarships.

“Wooster values individual exploration. Here, every student creates new knowledge and builds extraordinary skills through the senior research project we call Independent Study. Our mission has long emphasized the importance of this creative work, undertaken by students from many different backgrounds and experiences. Our admissions team is very experienced in finding wonderful young people who have the potential to add to the world’s understanding and to make an impact after they graduate,” added Bolton.