College admissions news: Week of September 16th

A weekly digest of college admissions news for your family

Notre Dame says test scores show which students are ready for college

Notre Dame joined other elite schools in reintroducing mandatory testing. Beginning in the 2027–2028 cycle, first-year students will need to submit either an SAT or ACT score.

University officials said the decision followed an analysis of admissions data, showing that quantitative test scores correlated strongly with enrolled students' classroom performance.

University of California system mathematics professors made the same argument in an open letter to the Board of Regents last May. Noting that “current admissions practices” (i.e., test-blind admissions) “do not provide a sufficiently reliable check on math readiness for STEM majors,” the letter’s authors called for a return to testing.

For Notre Dame, the decision is easier: most applicants already submitted test scores, and the university rated them as an “important” admissions factor. The Fighting Irish are mandating the status quo.

At test-blind universities like those in the UC system, returning to testing requires a policy pivot on a politically charged topic. Civil rights attorneys in the Golden State fought for years to remove tests from students' files, arguing that they disadvantaged low-income and minority applicants.

What this means for families

Families should treat test-optional as a requirement. Scores are weighed and count toward your admission if they’re strong. Notre Dame’s recent announcement ratifies what applicants were already doing. Alternatively, at schools like Berkeley and UCLA, a submitted score plays no role in admissions. Students who can skip the test are those whose lists include only test-blind institutions.

The South does it again

While finance directors at Midwestern colleges sweat the upcoming enrollment cliff, Southern schools stand to benefit.

With many colleges bracing to hit a demographic wall — fewer eighteen-year-olds competing for seats — schools below the Mason-Dixon might see a surge in enrollment.

As Forbes reported, last cycle the University of Arkansas admitted its largest class ever with a higher average GPA than previous years. Region matters in recruiting, and demographics have dealt the Sunbelt a favorable hand. 

New York projects 27% fewer high school graduates by 2041, joining fellow Rust Belt states like Michigan, Illinois, and Pennsylvania with plummeting teenage populations. Meanwhile, the South is booming: Tennessee will gain 15%, South Carolina 14%, and Florida 12%.

That’s good news for public flagships in the South. Schools like the University of Florida have already joined the ranks of public Ivies, with others close behind. 

The SEC holds another advantage that schools with dwindling high school graduates can’t claim: it delivers the “college experience.” Football Saturdays, September afternoons on the college lawn, and a growing reputation for academic excellence once reserved for the public and private Ivies. As schools like Vanderbilt and Rice ascend the rankings, they take the University of Tennessee and University of South Carolina along for the ride.

What this means for families

For students shopping for a discount, head north. Regional publics across Ohio and western Pennsylvania are poised to pay a premium in aid packages. In that market, a kid from Tampa is a commodity. They should be looking for merit aid at schools their peers are ignoring.

Federal judge pauses the four-year student visa cap

A federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s new rule capping international student visas at four years.

The rule was set to replace the longstanding system that tied international visas to the length of a student’s academic program.

U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor found the lawsuit against DHS “likely to succeed” and granted a preliminary injunction. According to Saylor, DHS failed to perform a cost-benefit analysis and didn’t sufficiently explain why it rejected narrower alternatives. He added that the national security rationale for student visas “border[ed] on the absurd.”

What this means for families of international students

If your student holds an F or J visa, the old standard still applies. Students may stay and finish their degrees, remaining in the U.S. for the length of their studies. Some programs don’t fit inside the typical four-year bachelor’s degree: dual-degree programs, five-year architecture programs. Add to the list: changing a major or a semester of medical leave. Under the new rule, students would have had to submit an extension to DHS with no review.