Test-Optional Admissions Rubric for Colleges and Universities

Donna Shaffner, a Principal with EAB specializing in financial aid optimization, oversaw the transition to test-score-optional admissions at several institutions she previously worked with in accordance with the guiding principles in this insight.

Read on to learn how Utica College, Daemen College, and Canisius College moved toward scoreless admissions by implementing an evaluation rubric, a new application review process, and strategies to combat over-scoring. Plus, explore an example rubric and an editable rubric template from the Enrollment Management Forum that you can use with your own admissions team.

The path to test-score-optional admissions at Utica College, Daemen College, and Canisius College

The approach to test-optional admissions at all three schools was really focused on two things: needing a way to determine whether or not a student would be able to do the work at the institution and needing a formula for awarding scholarships. Teams at each school used historical data to identify what had predicted student success in the past, and that data informed an application rubric they used to evaluate prospective students. In one case, they found that writing skills were one of the most predictive measures they had—specifically, performance in the Writing 101 class each student took in their first year. So, they developed a sophisticated rubric to evaluate applicants’ writing skills, focused on an assessment of the grammar, skill, and style observed in their application essays.

They pursued a similar strategy with the other inputs for the rubric: they identified an attribute they wanted incoming students to have, defined what the height of that would look like, and then built the rubric from there. For example, while traditionally they had looked for some measure of leadership in an applicant’s past, through this process they realized it wasn’t truly leadership they were interested in, but rather a level of service and involvement that showed dedication and consistency. They then defined what the best-in-class version of that would look like, and then calibrated from there, assigning a point value to each level. The rubric point value descriptions have become more descriptive and quantitative over time, as they’ve honed their preferences.

From there, they created a database that tracked:

• Each applicant’s name
• Where they were from
• GPA
• The output of the grid from their rubric (the total point value)

One smart decision they made to simplify the transition was to intentionally develop the rubric to total to 25 potential points—up to five points each in five categories. Their academic index had previously been 75% based on GPA and 25% on test score, so the rubric score was able to seamlessly replace test score in the formula. Similarly, if you have primarily been an ACT institution, you may consider designing a rubric that sums to 36 points.

Implement a new application review process

When it came to implementation, every counselor was assigned a territory of applications to read based on high schools—not alphabetically—so they knew and were reading their “own” files. They were instructed to spend just three minutes reading the essay before assigning it a 0-5 score in the rubric. The entire read through was meant to take just 10-15 minutes per application.

One other change the teams implemented was to have all counselors sit together and read applications as a group. Daily, each counselor had to report out how many applications they had read. If someone was newer or slower, someone more experienced was assigned to help them. This helped build camaraderie, instill accountability, and ensure efficiency across the group.

This new setup also ensured that admissions counselors were communicating with each other continuously, which helped them build knowledge and excitement about the incoming class. Everyone got to know a wider swatch of the applicant pool than they would have otherwise, which put them in a stronger position when their attention turned to yield later in the year.

Use a rubric to inform financial aid distribution

Finally, this new rubric-based scoring system was used to build their scholarship strategy. 75% of scholarship consideration was still based on GPA—still the most predictive measure of success they have—but the additional 25% was now based on their rubric score, in cases where a student chose not to submit a test score.

Having a consistent and calibrated way to evaluate application elements beyond GPA and test score provides a measure that schools can use to award financial aid fairly. A thoughtfully developed rubric and consistent usage of it will ensure that aid is being awarded in a way that reflects the institution’s values and priorities—and ensures that those students who will be most successful on campus receive the aid they need to enroll.

Mitigate over-scoring on admissions rubrics

They tracked closely where their distribution was falling as applications came in and found that in the first year, they were on track to over-award because application reviewers tended to be generous with scoring when using the rubric. This wouldn’t be sustainable, so they recalibrated and retrained readers.

It’s very likely that this process—and new formula—will need to evolve and be tweaked from year to year, as institutions identify rubric areas they may need to specify or additional messaging to help staff implement the system successfully.

In the cases of Utica College, Daemen College and Canisius College, one strategy that worked to combat over-scoring on the rubric was to remind application readers that if someone was receiving a “perfect” rubric score, that was equal to having submitted a 1600 SAT score. This helped remind readers of the context into which their scores were being put.

Another strategy tweak was to add some subjective or discretionary points that application reviewers can add to the rubric score at the end to differentiate truly stand-out candidates. In some cases, there may be just a few extra points available, to be awarded for grit or interest, or some other quality the institution values.

At one institution, up to 10 subjective points could be awarded per student, one point per category below, when applicable:

• Demonstrated interest in institution (attended events, gives specific examples of faculty research, campus community, or college town)
• Rigor of school
• Rigor of curriculum
• Character
• Love of learning (seeks knowledge outside of the classroom, enthusiasm for learning)
• Persistence (determination, resilience, grit)
• Academic ability
• Leadership
• Service
• Extracurricular activities

Keep in mind that this year—with high school students having transitioned to remote learning in the spring and with most sports and extracurricular activities cancelled or transitioned to a virtual format—it will be important to recalibrate expectations and think through the ways this year’s students can demonstrate the characteristics, skills, and strengths you’re looking for in an applicant.

Sample rubric for scoreless admissions

Below is the rubric Utica College developed to evaluate applicants who choose to apply without submitting a standardized test score.

Freshman applicants (domestic) who wish for their application to be reviewed under the test optional criteria (below) will be eligible for academic scholarships based on the review of additional materials submitted with the application for admission. The combined score of these elements will replace the SAT score portion of the application.

*This is where discretionary or subjective points can be substituted in—rather than automatically awarding a set number of points in this category—to avoid consistent over-scoring.

Rubric template to evaluate prospective students without test scores

Download our editable rubric template to start making the transition to scoreless application review on your campus. The rubric allows you to insert your own admissions criteria so that application reviewers can easily evaluate and compare students who do not submit test scores.

Download the Rubric Template