DePaul University initiated a test-optional alternative for freshman admission with the implementation of a four-year pilot program beginning with the 2012 freshman class. It was approved as a permanent program with the unanimous support of faculty council in May 2016.
- The purpose in offering a test-optional alternative is to elevate in the admission process the best and fairest criteria for evaluating student potential, namely students' academic performance in a rigorous, college-preparatory program in high school. This has always been DePaul's primary criterion for freshman admission.
- The objective of the test-optional approach is to encourage a wider range of high-achieving students to consider a four-year degree at DePaul, including very talented and promising students who may be disadvantaged by admission criteria that emphasize standardized tests.
Click the links to the left for more information about DePaul's test-optional pilot program.