VSU scraps test scores requirement

VALDOSTA — Future Blazers with a high school grade point average of 3.2 or higher will not be required to submit SAT or ACT scores when applying for fall admission to Valdosta State University.

Ryan Hogan, director of admissions at VSU, said the goal is to help remove some of the barriers incoming freshmen have been facing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are always excited to introduce new students to the VSU experience — limitless academic exploration, research, cultural and social opportunities, and more,” he said, “and we are forever committed to identifying opportunities to eliminate barriers to higher education.”

The standardized test score waiver applies to all prospective first-year undergraduate applicants, or freshmen, university officials said in a statement. 

University officials encouraged interested students to schedule a campus visit and take advantage of the application fee waiver in effect through March 31. Many prospective students across Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee are also eligible for in-state tuition through the border state tuition waiver.

“VSU attracts outstanding students from across South Georgia, across the nation and around the world, and many of them are already dealing with the impact of the global health crisis and resulting economic challenges,” Hogan added. “This latest update to our admissions process will certainly expand our ability to grow our dynamic and diverse community by eliminating additional costs and test score anxiety for this select group of hard-working students.”

Following guidance from the University System of Georgia, the decision is an effort to better align VSU’s admissions process with its unique vision, mission and goals — including "a commitment to expanding opportunities for new generations of creative, conscious and caring students to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to serve and lead a changing global society," university officials said.

Dr. Robert Smith, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the updated admissions process “is a great opportunity for students who have performed well in high school and who wish to pursue higher education but who did not, for one reason or another, have an opportunity to take the SAT or ACT during the pandemic.”

VSU officials said they know there is no one-size-fits-all approach to personal and professional growth.

"As a comprehensive institution of the University System of Georgia and South Georgia’s flagship institution of higher education, VSU prides itself on being a welcoming, aware, vibrant, and diverse community of 12,000 students," they added.

On the Web: www.valdosta.edu/admissions