Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Harvard extends optional standardised test policy by 4 years

Harvard extends optional standardised test policy by 4 years

STANDARDISED tests will not be mandatory for admissions to Harvard University for another four years “due to the ongoing pandemic”.

This is the second cycle that students can apply to Harvard without requiring standardised testing, as many aspirants continue to have limited access to testing sites due to Covid-19, the oldest American university said in a statement.


Harvard had announced in 2020 that standardised tests would be optional for a year in response to the outbreak of the pandemic. It extended the policy for another year and this week, it said the tests won't be required until 2026.

Harvard has joined a growing list of educational institutions like the University of Wisconsin which said they would not insist on standardised testing, which is often considered to put Asian Americans at disadvantage.

“Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years – including extracurricular activities, community involvement, employment, and family responsibilities – are considered as part of the admissions process,” Harvard said.

“Students who do not submit standardized test scores will not be disadvantaged in their application process”.

“Applicants will be considered on the basis of what they have presented, and students are encouraged to send whatever materials they believe would convey their accomplishments in secondary school and their promise for the future,” it said.

Many education experts wonder if the university will ever restore the mandatory SAT system which, according to critics, is discriminatory and penalises disadvantaged students.

Robert Schaeffer of the American educational organisation FairTest said SATs and ACTs over the last 50 years have become a significant “gatekeeper for undergraduate institutions”.

“A kid who grows up in a wealthy suburb has a lot more opportunity and tutoring - which is a big business in the US - than one from an inner-city, rural area or tribal reservation,” he told the Telegraph.

“They don’t have these advantages.”

Harvard is also accused of discriminating against Asian-American students who, despite recording above-average SAT scores, fared less well when their “personal rating” was taken into account.

An analysis by the Students for Fair Admissions, an action group, found that Asian-Americans fared badly when personality traits such as likability, courage and kindness were considered.

Harvard’s admissions process was upheld by an Appeal court, but the case could be considered by the Supreme Court, the Telegraph report said.

More For You

Chemmani Sri Lanka

The gravesite is one of dozens unearthed across the country. (Photo: X)

x

Child’s remains found in Sri Lanka’s Chemmani mass grave

THE skeletal remains of a girl aged between four and five have been identified among 65 sets of human remains exhumed from a mass grave in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district. The site first came into focus during the LTTE conflict in the mid-1990s.

“The findings of the excavation at the Chemmani mass grave were reported to the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on on Tuesday (15) by Raj Somadeva, a forensic archaeologist overseeing the exhumation,” Jeganathan Tathparan, a lawyer, said on Thursday (17).

Keep ReadingShow less
Aakash Odedra Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist

Aakash Odedra recently won Best Male Dancer and Outstanding Male Classical Performance at the National Dance Awards.

getty images

Aakash Odedra named Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist

AAKASH ODEDRA has been appointed a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, the organisation has announced.

Born in Birmingham and based in Leicester, Odedra is known for combining classical and contemporary dance to reflect British Asian experiences.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

Trump’s administration has been working on trade deals ahead of an August 1 deadline, when duties on most US imports are scheduled to rise again. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trump says trade deal with India ‘very close’

THE US is very close to finalising a trade agreement with India, while a deal with the European Union is also possible, president Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Real America's Voice on Wednesday. However, he said it was too soon to tell if an agreement could be reached with Canada.

Trump’s administration has been working on trade deals ahead of an August 1 deadline, when duties on most US imports are scheduled to rise again. The push is part of efforts to secure what Trump considers better trade terms and reduce the large US trade deficit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bengaluru stampede

The incident occurred when hundreds of thousands gathered to celebrate with the RCB team after their IPL final win against Punjab Kings. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

State govt report blames RCB, DNA Networks and KSCA for Bengaluru stampede

A STATUS report submitted to the Karnataka High Court on the stampede at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, which left 11 people dead, has blamed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), their event management partner DNA Networks Pvt Ltd, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for organising the June 4 victory parade and celebration without permission or providing mandatory details to city authorities.

Government sources confirmed to PTI that the report has been submitted to the court.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK to lower voting age to 16

Voters go to the polls as local elections are held in England on May 01, 2025 in Hull, England.

Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

UK to lower voting age to 16 in electoral shake-up

THE government said on Thursday (17) it planned to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in a major overhaul of the country's democratic system.

The government said the proposed changes were part of an effort to boost public trust in democracy and would align voting rights across Britain, where younger voters already participate in devolved elections in Scotland and Wales.

Keep ReadingShow less