Columbia University became the first Ivy League school on March 1 to permanently drop the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) as well as the American College Testing (ACT) testing requirement for admission.

This news comes as college enrollments continue to drop in the U.S. For the spring 2022 term, public and private colleges saw enrollment fall to 16.2 million, down 4.1 percent year over year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, as reported by Yahoo.

The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. The ACT test measures what a student already knows, covering material that the student should have learned during high school. The SAT test is considered more as a predictor of what a student is capable of learning in college.

Columbia is one of many colleges and universities dropping the tests. 

“Our review is purposeful and nuanced — respecting varied backgrounds, voices and experiences — in order to best determine an applicant’s suitability for admission and ability to thrive in our curriculum and our community, and to advance access to our educational opportunities,” the Columbia’s Undergraduate Admissions said in a statement.

More than 1,800– or more than 80 percent– U.S. colleges and universities are making either ACT/SAT optional or dropping the requirement, according to a list by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), an organization that is one of the nation’s leading opponents to high-stakes standardized testing.

“An overwhelming majority of undergraduate admissions offices now make selection decisions without relying on ACT/SAT results,” FairTest Executive Director Harry Feder said in the organization’s news release. “These schools recognize that standardized test scores do not measure academic ‘merit.’ What they do assess quite accurately is family wealth, but that should not be the criteria for getting into college.”

Feder added, “De-emphasizing standardized exam scores is a model that all of U.S. education – from K-12 through graduate schools – should follow.”

Twitter responded to the trend–and most were against the tests being dropped.

Journalist Saagar Enjeti tweeted, “The entire US elite system is ditching merit in favor of an affirmative action regime. No test scores for college, no LSAT for law school, soon no MCAT for med school.”

Matt Stoller of the American Economic Liberties Project, tweeted, “They should implement a new test based solely on whether you are unreasonably anxious despite coming from a wealthy family. Wait that’s the same test.”

Non-profit and non-partisan, the American Economic Liberties Project is part of a growing, cross- ideological movement to combat monopolistic corporations and the systems that entrench their power

“Except the SAT isn’t an actual measure of intelligence or aptitude. It’s not like the LSAT or MCAT to ask real questions about a particular field. It’s just about strategy and tricks of how to pass the test (which often requires spending a lot of money on supplies and courses),” tweeted journalist Ali M Latifi. 

”I guess this would bother me more if the legacy system had been eliminated but as long as mediocre rich white kids can still have their parents buy their way in (like Jared), I’m all for leveling the playing field,” tweeted attorney A.J. Delgado.

“They should be lowering tuition, not admission standards,” podcaster Clifton Duncan tweeted.

Some people were skeptical about the motives of colleges. “The test scores are getting in the way, this about keeping money flowing in…” tweeted SunsetRoadzter.

“The test scores are getting in the way, this about keeping the money flowing in…” Hoop tweeted.

“They’re “poor predictors of academic performance” in the same way 40 yard dash time has almost no relation with NFL salary – it’s not that having a good 40 time is bad, it’s just that you’re dealing with players who are all already fast,” The Alt Hyp, tweeted, and added, “Especially at higher level colleges, the variance in SAT scores is so low, of course SAT variance is not going to predict grade variance.”

But some thought it was a good idea. “Who needs hard work when you can just use your identity as leverage! It’s actually good they are doing this because all it does is build up a case against their woke absurdity,” tweeted Clarkeus Aurelius III.

“It is stunning the USA is willingly abolishing the system that created the best doctors in the world, in favor of the bigotry of low expectations that accompanies affirmative action. Now we will have to choose medical care based on who doctors allow to operate on their families,” Lizzy tweeted against dropping the tests.

“I’m gonna go conspiracy theory on this for a minute. Schools don’t make money off SAT/LSAT/MCAT scores, the testing companies do. Colleges and Uni’s do make money off admission application fees,” tweeted uS nosaJ.

Some noted that Black students are often at a disadvantage taking standardized tests but questioned the stats about possible increases in the admission of Black students. “Wait a minute. A 1% increase in students of color…that’s all, huh? Are we sure this isn’t a smoke screen to admit every possible kid with a trust fund and a last name that could end up on the placard of a newly donated building?” asked Todd Gebhart.  

PHOTOS: Screenshots of tweets. (Twitter). Pencil and test paper. (Wikimedia Commons)