Pitt is extending its test-optional program through fall 2025

The University of Pittsburgh has extended its test-optional program for first-year undergraduate applicants on all campuses through fall of 2025.

The program, first implemented ahead of the fall 2021 admission cycle, allows students to decide whether to include SAT or ACT scores as part of their application. The program applies to prospective undergraduate students applying to all programs, majors, schools and colleges across the University, including guaranteed graduate programs and those applying for scholarships.

The test-optional program currently in place is a significant component of the University’s approach to evaluate each application holistically. Standardized tests do not fully reflect a student’s abilities, talents or potential, especially when access to testing or test preparation is not equal for all students.

“Our decision to continue a test-optional approach reflects our deep commitment to accessibility for students whose diverse talents and potential for leadership may not be well measured by standardized tests. It is critically important that holistic evaluation of our students remains central to our admissions approach,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd.

All applicants to the University of Pittsburgh receive a comprehensive individual review; admission is not based on a single factor. In the absence of SAT or ACT test scores, the committee will determine admissibility by relying more heavily on other admissions factors, such as the strength of a student's academic coursework, their grade trends and senior year curriculum choices, their performance in advanced courses, short answer/essay questions, extracurricular activities and anything else that a student chooses to submit to demonstrate their academic potential.

“I am so excited that Pitt is extending the test optional pilot through 2025,” said Kellie Kane, associate vice provost for enrollment and executive director of enrollment outreach. “About half of our undergraduate applicants for this fall applied to the Pittsburgh campus without test scores. Of those, about half of the incoming class started this academic year at Pitt without test scores. This extension provides time to fully assess the impact and outcomes of test optional while continuing to provide the opportunity for students to apply without a test being a potential barrier.”

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