Do I Need an SAT/ACT???

Don’t Want to Take an ACT/SAT?

I don't blame you.

Standardized tests suck.

Just thinking about them gives me high school flashbacks...

Do you want to go to college when you separate from the military, but you have not taken an ACT or SAT exam? Standardized tests can be a scary idea for those of us who may not test well. Deadline dates may have passed, and now it is too late to take one of the exams before you want to start school. Sometimes training schedules for service members might make studying for the test difficult and proper preparation hard to achieve

If you fall into one of these categories, don’t fret, there are many ways to go to college without taking an ACT/SAT exam. The easiest and quickest route is to start at a local community college. In most states, earning a certain amount of credits from a local community college allows you to be considered a transfer student at the state universities. The universities will want the grades you earned from those classes instead of an ACT/SAT because you already have a proven college track record at this point.  

In some states, such as California, you must earn 60 semester credits in order to be able to transfer to a four-year state university and be exempt from the ACT/SAT. That is the equivalent of two full years of college. Other schools, such as Arizona State University requires 24 semester credit hours to be considered a transfer student for their university. This is roughly equivalent to one year of school.

Throughout the country, many schools have realized that test scores are not always the best measure of a student’s abilities. Some technical, music, art, and religious based schools don’t like the ACT/SAT, because they do not test potential students on the skills they will be using if they attend this type of institution. Several of these schools have developed their own entrance or placement exams that better judge a student’s ability to learn from their specific curriculum.

Many of these schools have also recognized that veteran students need special consideration during the admissions process. Some institutions will take writing samples from service members instead of requiring an exam score. DePaul University in Chicago will give you an instant admissions decision after you bring in your required documents or fax the documents to the school (https://www.depaul.edu/admission-and-aid/Pages/veteran-student.aspx) then click on "Apply for Admission to DePaul." This allows service members to begin preparing for their transitions off active-duty and into school more quickly and effectively by not having to wait months to find out if they have been accepted into the school. 

The best way to find out if the school you want to attend will bypass SAT/ACT scores is to call the veterans' resource center (VRC) at the school. Typically, a veterans' representative will answer the phone. He/she is usually a vet who is working a part time job called VA Work Study (look for the Work Study post!) Usually, these individuals are veterans themselves, have “been there, done that,” and can tell you if the institution offers special consideration to veterans during the admissions process. Admissions requirements can change yearly, so double check with the school before applying.

If you are interested in taking an ACT/SAT, take it before you separate from the military. Oftentimes, the Education Center aboard your base can proctor these exams for you for free. Check with the school you are interested in attending to determine which test they want. Visit https://goo.gl/vXir6v for free test preparation for either one. If you already took one of the exams, remember the scores are only good (usually but double check!) for five years.

If you are still on active-duty check with your local Education Center to see if someone is available to assist you in this process. If you are out of the service but still near a base try the same route; military academic counselors help retirees as well. Phone counseling appointments might be available or post a comment to this feed and we will do our best to assist you.  

Here are some of my go-to schools that do not require a test score: Texas Tech, University of Houston, University of Northern Arizona, California State University San Marcos, UMASS Boston.