Hobart and William Smith Colleges announced today that standardized tests, including the SAT, would now be optional for all applicants. “A close review of what we value the most in students showed that the SAT adds little to our assessment of curiosity, conscientiousness, and critical thinking,” said Mark D. Gearan, president of the colleges. The number of applicants to the colleges has increased by 35 percent during the last eight years.

The move makes Hobart and William Smith one of the few selective colleges among the hundreds that do not require applicants to take a standardized test. One of the first of those selective institutions to opt for an SAT-optional admissions policy was Bates College, in 1984. Twenty years later, Bates released a study that found virtually no difference between the subsequent academic performances of applicants who submitted SAT scores and those who did not (The Chronicle, October 1, 2004).