Research: Do Test-Optional Policies in Engineering Admissions Improve Decision Making and Equity? Empirical Research using Experimental Simulations

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In the future, as test-optional admissions policies become more widespread in the post-COVID era, there are increasing claims about their potential to enhance student diversity. This study aims to explore critical policy and practice questions in this evolving landscape. Among various tools in admissions policies, the admissions office plays a significant role in granting access to engineering careers. However, there is a lack of research investigating the actual functioning of test-optional policies in the admissions process and how effectively they contribute to equitable outcomes. Therefore, the primary goal of this project will be to enhance decision making and implementation of test-optional policies in engineering admissions. By gaining insights into their impact, we aim to improve the admissions process for both applicants and admissions officers, fostering greater opportunities for aspiring engineering students. The research directly aligns with the National Science Foundation's focus on research in the formation of engineers, particularly research on the transition from high school to college and diversifying pathways to and through engineering degree programs. The goal of the project will be to examine the impact of test-optional admissions on the entry of highly-qualified and underrepresented students in engineering. Despite the recent pervasiveness of test-optional policies, empirical and experimental work remains needed to figure out how cognitive biases may prevent underrepresented students from being admitted to engineering programs. Thus, the research questions of this project will be as follows: 1) How does the submission of SAT/ACT test scores (or not) affect engineering admissions officers’ assessments of admissions files and decisions?; 2) Are there differential effects of acceptance rates related to test submissions for female, low-income students, and underrepresented racial groups?; 3) Does test submission influence engineering admissions officers differently depending on institutional selectivity, history of test-optional admissions, their demographic backgrounds, or their experience in the field? Participation in the study will involve actual college admissions officers, many of whom will have years of experience reviewing thousands of applications, and an experimental design approach will be utilized. In particular, we will use simulated admissions application files to investigate whether students who do not submit test scores under test-optional admissions policies will be disadvantaged by doing so, particularly for low-income students, women, and students of color underrepresented in engineering. This research will contribute to our understanding of how test-optional policies actually work in admissions practice and how well those processes will yield equitable outcomes. Furthermore, this project will have the potential to inform not only practices in engineering admissions, but also the activities of important national actors and partnerships.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.