Jan 25, 2007 - Claremont, Calif. - Harvey Mudd College (HMC) will begin accepting ACT test scores as part of its admission application process starting in 2007-08, ending its holdout as the lone four-year college or university in the U.S. that did not accept the test.

"We have always attracted stellar students and our applicant pool has grown consistently" said Interim Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid Peter Osgood. "We felt it was time to expand our reach into areas of the U.S. where the ACT is the preferred test and where we traditionally receive fewer applications. Our goal is a more diverse student body -- racially, ethnically, regionally and in gender. The ACT provide opportunities to better achieve that, while maintaining our holistic approach of looking at candidates from perspectives beyond just their numbers."

Until now, HMC has accepted only the SAT test for consideration in evaluating the academic abilities of its applicants. HMC will now accept the ACT in lieu of the SAT, but will continue to require all applicants to submit test scores from the SAT subject tests, including mathematics level 2, and one additional subject test of the applicant's choosing. HMC will require ACT test takers to submit the writing portion of the test.

"This decision by Harvey Mudd opens the door of opportunity to a growing number of students across the nation who take the ACT," said ACT's Vice President of Educational Services Jon Erickson. "The additional students who will now send applications to Harvey Mudd will further enhance the college's outstanding reputation for academic excellence."

The ACT is used by colleges and universities to predict a student's readiness for college-level course work. Scores are used for admissions, course placement, scholarship awards and academic advising. The ACT is also used in statewide achievement testing in a growing number of states in the U.S. Unlike the SAT, which is a reasoning test that measures critical thinking skills, the ACT is an achievement test that measures what a student has learned in school. ACT composite scores range from 1 to 36; SAT composite scores range from 1 to 2400. Both tests now offer a writing component.

Among 2006 high school graduates, more than 1.2 million took the ACT test, a record number. The highest percentages of students taking the ACT are in the South and Midwest regions of the nation;its growth has been greatest in the East. HMC seeks to attract more students of high achievement from these areas. The number of ACT test takers is also growing in California and the West Coast.

Harvey Mudd College's applications for admission for the 2007-08 academic year increased by 15 percent and reached an all-time high: 2,438 applicants are seeking to be part of the 185-member incoming freshman class. Among the 2005-06 freshman class, 90 percent were ranked in the top ten percent of their high school class, if rank was reported; the median score for the SAT I test (using the former scale of 1 to 1600) was 1480; and the median score on the mathematics level 2 was 790 (of a possible 800).

More information:

ACT: www.act.org

Harvey Mudd College Office of Admission