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The University of Missouri, including the flagship campus in Columbia, will continue its pandemic-era test-optional policy.
Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The University of Missouri system is extending its test-optional policy for another year following a unanimous vote by the system’s Board of Curators. It first adopted a test-optional policy in 2020, along with the vast majority of institutions.
At the board meeting, curators said they wanted to gather enough data on graduation rates before making a permanent decision, according to a report from KBIA.
The debate over testing requirements has exploded in recent months after a series of studies claimed to show test scores are a better predictor of academic success in college than high school GPAs. As pandemic-era test-optional policies near their expiration dates, some institutions already have enshrined long-term policies: Columbia University and the College of William & Mary extended their test-optional policies indefinitely, while Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology returned to their pre-pandemic standardized testing requirements.
The UM system’s decision puts it in line with many other colleges delaying a final determination on the testing question.
