U-M Continues to Deny Standardized Testing Despite Ivy Reversals
School’s commitment to equal outcomes undermines its own academic mission
Bronze block letter M at the center of the University of Michigan Diag.
The University of Michigan has decided to double down on its rejection of merit.
Prestigious universities across the country are rethinking their decision to remove standardized testing requirements. It would seem no amount of academic bona fides can make up for plain ole’ common sense.
U-M is one of many schools that removed its testing requirement for applicants in the wake of the COVID pandemic, replacing it with a “test-optional” policy. The nationwide lockdowns were a convenient excuse at the time, but the new policy was extended as part of higher education’s broader push for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Standardized testing requirements, they argue, negatively affect already disadvantaged applicants, including minorities and lower-income students.
