As the parent of a college-bound teen, you want to know what college administrators think about admissions practices. Knowledge is power and you can use it as your student begins to apply to colleges. If you know what the colleges are focusing on and what administrators consider important, your student will have useful information as they apply.

College administrators voice opinions

The Princeton Review’s College Administrator Summer 2023 Survey—the education services company’s 4^th such annual survey—asked administrators their views on trending topics.

Findings based on responses overall of 229 college administrators regarding admissions:

The majority of colleges were test-optional for fall 2023.
Nearly 9 out of 10 respondents (89%) said their institutions were test-optional (did not require but considered SAT,^® ACT^® or IB scores) for fall 2023. Only 1% said they required test scores; 10% said they were test blind/test free. Asked their admission test policies for 2024, 84% said they will be test-optional; 3% said they will require scores; 10% said they will be test blind/test free, and 3% said they are undecided.

College level coursework (AP, IB, and dual enrollment) on applicant transcripts has gained in importance in admission decisions.
Asked to rate the relative importance of AP, IB, and dual enrollment coursework on applicant transcripts, 61% of respondents deemed such coursework important or very important in admission decisions—a 7% increase over the 54% of respondents so indicating on The Princeton Review’s College Administrator Summer 2022 Survey.  

The majority of colleges do not give preferences to legacy applicants.
Asked their institution’s policies with respect to legacy applicants, 84% of respondents said their schools do not (and will not) give preference to legacy applicants; 13% said they do and will continue this practice; 3% said they are eliminating legacy preferences.

Affordability will be the key concern among students this school year while academics will be the key concern among administrators. 
Respondents were asked to rank four topics according to which they expect will matter most among their students and which will matter most among their fellow administrators in this school year. The four topics were: academics (quality and quantity of course offerings), affordability (cost of attendance and level of financial aid for students), health (campus protocols and medical services) and social justice (commitments to diversity and addressing discrimination). The topics respondents ranked as likely to matter most among their school’s students this year are: #1 affordability, #2 academics, #3 social justice, and #4 health. The topics respondents ranked as likely to matter most among their fellow administrators this year are: #1 academics, #2 affordability, #3 social justice, and #4 health.

What does this mean for you as a parent of a college-bound teen?

Test optional—Even though the majority of colleges are going to be test-optional (only 1 percent said they would require them), only 10 percent admitted they would be test blind. That means your student will likely need to take the standardized test, especially if they are applying to competitive colleges. If a college were entirely test optional, admissions officers would tell students to not submit their scores under any circumstances. These scores would not be used for admission decisions or financial aid awards.

College level coursework—It’s clear colleges place great value in the type of courses your student takes in high school; and the administrators stated their importance has increased since last year. College admissions is becoming more and more competitive, and your student needs every advantage.

Legacy applicants—If you are planning on using this as advantage when applying, you might not be able to. Most experts agree that legacy applicant preferences will soon be a thing of the past.

Affordability—It’s disconcerting to see that affordability is not top priority for the colleges. For families, that is #1 on their list when choosing a college. Colleges should be doing everything they can to make their education more affordable.

What do you think? Are any of these topics concerning to you as a parent? Will they affect where your student applies to college?