BGSU’s Office of Admissions has chosen to extend a policy that no longer requires new students to submit an ACT or SAT score to be admitted. This means that students applying to attend in the fall semester of 2022 may choose not to provide a score from their standardized tests.

The policy began during the fall semester 2020, as COVID-19 prevented many high school students from being able to take either exam.

Students may still submit a score if they choose, and may find certain benefits. One benefit listed by Admissions is mathematics placement, which may help a student begin their math courses in a more suitable place. 

While independent scholarships may require a test score, BGSU’s academic scholarships can be awarded to students who applied through test-optional. It is recommended that students have a 3.0 GPA or higher to be eligible for these academic scholarships, and new students have until Jan. 15 to apply. 

Of those that do submit scores, Admissions currently reports that the average ACT score of applicants ranges from 20 to 25, and SAT scores from 1020 to 1190. 

BGSU is one of many schools that engages in superscoring, where a student’s overall test score is aggregated from their best section scores across multiple attempts of the exam, to the benefit of the student. 

BGSU’s test-optional policy is not unique in Ohio, as many major public universities in the state have independently waived their ACT/SAT requirement during the pandemic.

While the policy will go into its third year, the Office of Admissions has stated that it is not an indefinite policy, and that it will be re-evaluated for future years.

Those interested in knowing more on the policy can visit the FAQ page on the Office of Admissions’ website.