Fontbonne University will No Longer Require Standardized Test Scores for General Admission
New admission policy for incoming freshmen begins Fall 2022
ST. LOUIS – Fontbonne University announces its new test-free admission policy for incoming freshmen beginning with the fall 2022 semester.
Also referred to as “test-blind” or “score-free,” Fontbonne’s approach allows students to be considered for general admission to Fontbonne without submitting a standardized test score. Requirements for general admission will be based strictly upon the student’s high school grade point average.
“Fontbonne has long believed in recognizing and rewarding hardworking students,” says Quinton Clay, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications. “Shifting our general admission criteria to focus on academic performance in the classroom, what I consider to be a four-year payment of sweat-equity, is absolutely the right thing to do.”
Fontbonne University is the only school in Missouri to adopt a test-free policy for general admission. In addition to no longer accepting ACT or SAT scores, students with a 3.0-grade point average will meet the minimum criteria for automatic admission to Fontbonne. For students with less than a 3.0 GPA, Fontbonne will conduct a holistic application review to determine general admission. “We are not lowering our standards–we have widened the doors of access to hardworking students,” says Clay.
The adoption of test-free policies significantly alters the admission landscape and creates more opportunities for students to pursue higher education with over 80 institutions. “There have been nearly two decades of data and numerous movements within and outside of higher education to correct high-stakes standardized test policies and practices,” states Clay.
In contrast to “test-optional” schools that don’t require, yet accept standardized test scores, Fontbonne University will neither accept nor consider scores for general admission. Additionally, standardized test scores are not required for Fontbonne’s merit scholarships. “Admissions requirements should be based on criteria that predict college success, and our data showed that standardized tests lack that predictive power,” says Adam Weyhaupt, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fontbonne University.
Fontbonne University was recently named in the U.S. News & World Report 2022 U.S. News Best Colleges List. This 37th edition of “Best Colleges” evaluates more than 1,800 colleges and universities on 17 indicators of academic quality. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Fontbonne ranked in a number of categories, including #51 in Regional Universities Midwest, #46 in Best Colleges for Veterans, and #55 in Best Value Schools.
Fontbonne University offers over 100 areas of study, 21 athletic programs, and a wide range of student activities.