Dear Members of the Fordham Community,
In May 2020, Fordham announced that for a two-year period, standardized admissions tests—the SAT and ACT—would be an optional element of the undergraduate admission application process. In the ensuing two years, Fordham enrolled the largest and most diverse entering classes in the University’s history.
The University extended the policy for another year in 2022 and, given our positive experience with the newly arrived first-year class, Fordham will now further extend the test-optional policy to include students applying for fall 2025 admission. This will allow high school students to plan ahead, and will enable the University to continue analyzing the data on student success, and further refine application assessments.
Fordham has always employed a holistic admission process—just as we aim to educate the whole student, the University assesses the whole student. Making standardized tests optional has improved access for students who might not otherwise apply to the University and maintained our commitment to academic rigor. With several admission cycles behind us, Fordham is more confident than ever that we can fairly evaluate applicants who submit test scores along with those who do not, offering admission to candidates who can thrive at Fordham.
We know that the Class of 2027 has the skills and intellectual ability to excel at Fordham. Like the classes that preceded them back to 1840s, they will leave Fordham prepared to be leaders of competence, compassion, and superior judgment in their careers and in their lives.
John W. Buckley
Vice President for Enrollment
