BALTIMORE, July 16, 2026 — Dropping standardized testing requirements may make admission to college more accessible for some, but it can also make it harder for universities to identify high-potential students, according to new research published in the INFORMS journal Management Science.
That research suggests the decision involves nuanced tradeoffs between the informational value of test scores and barriers to access. Moreover, the study shows that dropping the testing requirement can even move diversity and academic merit in the same direction: it is possible to improve both, or worsen both, at once.
The study, "Dropping Standardized Testing for Admissions Trades Off Information and Access," develops a statistical discrimination framework that shows that if you drop a feature like test score review, this could impact the context with which you then see all of the other data used in the review and vetting process. Holistically, the review process depends on the information provided by other application components and how, collectively, that requirement shapes the applicant pool.
The findings add important nuance to ongoing policy debates in higher education: removing standardized testing may expand access for underrepresented groups but can also reduce the ability to accurately assess academic merit, particularly for students from nontraditional backgrounds. In some settings, it improves diversity and merit simultaneously; in others, it worsens outcomes across multiple metrics.
“The decision to drop standardized testing involves a fundamental tradeoff between information and access,” said Nikhil Garg of Cornell University, a co-author of the study. “Test scores provide valuable signals, especially when other parts of the application are less informative for certain groups of students, but access barriers can prevent some qualified students from even applying.”
The study examined the admissions process where schools evaluate applicants based on multiple features, such as grades, recommendation letters, essays, and test scores, while considering capacity constraints and fairness goals. The researchers examined both non-strategic access barriers and strategic student behavior. Using calibrated simulations, the authors demonstrated practical scenarios where outcomes would vary significantly.
“Our results showed that dropping the test can exacerbate disparities by decreasing available information, especially for nontraditional applicants,” said Hannah Li of Columbia Business School, a study co-author. “Still, when access barriers are substantial, removing the test scores requirement can expand the pool in ways that may improve both merit and diversity.”
The study further shows that student test-taking behavior may have some counterintuitive effects, complicating admissions decisions. This is particularly the case in multi-school settings where you may have one school applying a more restrictive standard, and another competing school, applying a less restrictive acceptance standard. The study shows that when some schools drop the test and others keep it, some qualified students may opt out of testing entirely, missing the chance to apply to schools they otherwise would have been admitted to.
“Our findings suggest that policymakers and admissions offices need to jointly consider the informational environment and access barriers rather than viewing the testing requirement decision in isolation in a 'tests good vs. tests bad' manner,” said Faidra Monachou of Yale School of Management, a study co-author. “These decisions affect not just who gets admitted, but also who gets to apply in the first place, and ultimately the academic merit and diversity of the admitted class.”
The study raises important questions about how institutions can balance competing goals, where colleges and universities seek to balance access, merit, and diversity. In the end, the study authors concluded that schools may benefit from investing in better signals for all applicants, while still working to reduce access barriers, instead of just dropping test score requirements.
Read the full study here.
About INFORMS and Management Science
INFORMS is the world’s largest association for professionals and students in operations research, AI, analytics, data science and related disciplines, serving as a global authority in advancing cutting-edge practices and fostering an interdisciplinary community of innovation. INFORMS empowers its community to improve organizational performance and drive data-driven decision-making through its journals, conferences and resources. Learn more at www.informs.org or @informs.
Management Science, a leading journal published by INFORMS, publishes research on decision sciences, strategy, innovation and quantitative methods that inform managerial and policy decisions.
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