Test scores or test optional? Incoming students chart their own path

Collage by Trinity Johnson, Photographer

As college acceptances roll in, what does a lack of submitted test scores and lowered average mean for the incoming class?

Inside Higher Ed and Common App recently released trends from this year’s pool of college applicants, stating that the 2025-26 application cycle showed more applicants submitting standardized test scores despite receiving lower scores.

It is currently unknown what this year’s application cycle looked like at Chapman, as assistant vice president of admission Marcela Mejia Martinez said they are not sharing unpublished admissions data at this time.

However, some incoming freshmen seem to be defying this trend by choosing not to report their SAT or ACT scores.

Incoming freshman film production major, Calyce Conner, chose not to report their scores when applying to any schools. 

“I took the test once, didn't get a good score and I didn’t feel like taking the test again,” they said.

Conner said their college counselor advised them that their actual score does not really matter unless they score a 700 in at least one of the SAT sections.

Similarly, Alexia Kavros, an incoming freshman public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major, did not report her SAT score to Chapman, though she did report it to some California State University campuses because her college counselor said they use them for course placement rather than admissions.

“I just felt like (submitting my score to Chapman) would be an improper reflection of my academic abilities,” Kavros said.

Similarly, Conner felt that standardized tests don’t always represent oneself properly.

“It’s a testament to what your strengths and what your weaknesses are,” Conner said. “If you don’t feel like that test reflects that, you just don’t send the test.” 

While College Board Newsroom announced in September that the high school class of 2025 surpassed 2 million test takers for the first time since 2020, average scores have become much lower than before the pandemic. 

For the class of 2025, 39% of SAT takers met the benchmarks for college readiness in both reading/writing and math. This is lower than in 2019, when 45% of students met those benchmarks.

In contrast to national reports, current Chapman freshmen said their perceived performance was the main factor in deciding whether or not to submit their test scores.

Cadence Luk, a freshman animation and visual effects major, said that she applied through the Common App and submitted her SAT score.

“I had a pretty high score, so it didn't hurt to just send it to every school that accepted it,” Luk said.

On the other hand, freshman psychology major Jolene Chou also applied through the Common App, but did not submit her scores to any colleges.

“I didn’t like my score because it was too low,” Chou said. “It was below the average for the SAT and ACT scores for the previous year.”

More information about the incoming class will become available when Chapman releases admissions data in the fall. At that time, it will be clearer whether students are following national trends in score reporting.

For the incoming freshmen interviewed, however, that does not seem to be the case.