Michael Bastedo speaks with Inside Higher Education about new research regarding college readiness in a test-optional admissions landscape

Colleges and universities across the country suspended test requirements for admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly six years ago. Although the majority have maintained test-optional since, some—including most Ivy League institutions—have returned to requiring test scores.

New qualitative research shows that students who were admitted to colleges and universities through test-optional admissions—and their professors—generally don’t feel underqualified to attend their institutions, reports Inside Higher Education. The report is the result of research conducted in 2025 by Julie Park, a professor of education at the University of Maryland, College Park.

U-M Professor of Education Michael Bastedo, who researches college admissions, notes that most families like having the autonomy to decide whether or not to submit a test score once they know what the score is.

“Some faculty are definitely less enthusiastic, especially faculty in STEM, and admissions deans hear from them pretty regularly about going back to required testing,” he wrote in an email to Inside Higher Ed.

He added that “The impact of test-optional policies on student success is still a pretty open question. There seem to be a really wide range of outcomes depending on the institution. At Michigan, we didn’t see big differences in success between submitters and non-submitters, but that’s not always the story. Institutions really need to be studying this on a case-by-case basis.”