BOULDER, Colo.—The University of Colorado will no longer require foreign applicants to submit standardized SAT or ACT test scores with their applications, because it says there are too many countries limiting access to the materials the foreign students need to study.
International students will still have to pass a test that measures their English-speaking abilities, CU admissions director Kevin MacLennan said.
Enrollment of foreign students at CU last fall reached a record high of nearly 1,500 students, according to the Boulder Daily Camera ( ), and they bring in more money than in-state students. The university wants to eventually boost the number of foreign students to 3,000.
MacLennan said students overseas have had difficulty accessing official SAT test sites, especially in eastern African countries and China, a top source of international students for the university.
One or both of the two tests are given to high school students each year to determine the knowledge they have gained through school. Students with the highest scores often have a better chance than other students of getting into the colleges of their choice.
CU officials are now sending admissions officers overseas, recruiting in China, the Middle East, South East Asia and other regions worldwide.
“It really became a hardship for many students and kept them from applying,” MacLennan said.
Several other universities have dropped the standardized SAT test requirement for international applicants, including Purdue University, Michigan State University and the University of Oregon, the Daily Camera reported.
New international students at CU this year include nearly 290 undergraduates, with about 20 percent from China. Saudi Arabia, Korea, Japan and Venezuela were other large sources of undergraduate students.
International students who want to be considered for merit-based scholarships will still need to submit their SAT or ACT test scores.
Todd Gleeson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at CU, is heading the International Student Recruitment Committee. He said educators found a weak connection between SAT scores and the time needed to complete a degree.
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Information from: Daily Camera,
