Do international students who will plan to major in art require taking the SAT?

Answered

Hi @Tartarik,

Thanks for asking this question. I'm certain there are other Int'l Students that want to know whether they should submit an SAT or ACT test score with their upcoming applications.

This upcoming cycle there are 3 types of colleges with regards to standardized testing.

1. Colleges that require the SAT or ACT like MIT or Georgetown, most Florida and Georgia public universities.

2. Colleges that are TEST BLIND and do not factor the SAT/ACT in their college decisions like CalTech and UC system schools and Cal State system schools. Various colleges at Cornell University.

3. Everyone else who is so called "TEST OPTIONAL"

Your question can not be answered simply. It depends on your college list and identifying which category of colleges you are applying to.

So if you are applying to public universities in GA or FL, then you will need an SAT/ACT. If you are applying to the Cornell School of Architecture, Art and Planning, you will not need to submit anything since they are test blind, and if you are applying to other schools it depends on how competitive their admissions are. If you are applying to say ART CENTER Pasadena (70% acceptance rate), then you just need a really good art portfolio but if you are applying to say CMC, Pomona (7% acceptance rate), or other liberal arts colleges, then I would suggest that you submit an SAT or ACT test score with your applications.

In general, Int'l students tend to flock to very prestigious name brand schools because they have the most financial aid to offer. But schools like Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, are super hard to get into with 95% rejection rate, perhaps higher among international students. Therefore, the more prestigious and competitive the school you are applying to, it actually helps your chances to apply with a high test score. You are not competing against Americans but the best of the best in your home country and city.

There is no formula for what the advantage can be. But at a minimum lets say the bump can be an increase probability of admissions of 10% for a high test score, even up to 40%-50% depending on the institution.

Good luck.