SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Effective for the fall 2018 admission cycle, Wofford College joins more than 900 four-year colleges and universities nationwide that are test optional. Wofford no longer will require standardized test scores – SAT or ACT – to complete an application for students pursuing admission to the college.

“We consider a number of different factors when students apply for admission to Wofford,” says Brand Stille, vice president for enrollment. “These factors include high school grades, course selection, activities, an essay and recommendations. Consistently, a student’s high school GPA has been the best predictor of academic success at Wofford. We are very confident we can continue to make sound admission decisions without standardized test scores.

“We received a record number of applications this year, and we expect that being test optional will make Wofford more appealing to strong students who may not perform up to their own expectations on standardized tests,” Stille continues. “Wofford is a place where professors recognize students who are prepared for class when they arrive, whether they are interested in the conversations taking place in the classroom, whether they are actively engaged in the learning process and whether they are willing to make the effort to succeed. These things are very important for success at Wofford. Test scores don’t measure any of these factors.” Wofford will continue to evaluate applicants holistically, taking into account students’ challenging course work and academic performance, leadership roles, interests and success in other areas, Stille says. “Being test optional can provide us with a larger and more diverse pool of well-qualified applicants.”

The new policy was endorsed unanimously by the faculty Enrollment Committee and received overwhelming support from the entire faculty, Stille adds.

More than half of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges are now test optional; Wofford is 77th on the Top 100 list.

For more information, go to www.wofford.edu/admission/testoptional.