Submission of ACT or SAT score now optional as part of application process at Tusculum

GREENEVILLETusculum University is waiving the requirement for students to submit an ACT or SAT score as part of their application process in recognition that students might not have had an opportunity to take one of these tests due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Students will now have the option of not submitting one or more of these scores when they apply to Tusculum for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year as well as for 2021-22. If they do not, the university will take other factors into consideration in determining whether a student qualifies for admission.

“We want to help students achieve dreams of a college education as much as possible, especially in light of the challenges many face during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “Students bring a wide variety of skills to the table, and other performance indicators will enable us to consider the total picture of an applicant in the event an ACT or SAT score is unavailable. With the strain many students and their families are experiencing, we are pleased to offer alternative evaluation options and ease their minds.”

Other factors that could determine a student’s readiness for college include high school grades, commitment to community service and personal drive to succeed in a higher education setting, said Dr. Ramona Williams, Tusculum’s vice president of enrollment management and financial aid.

She said Tusculum encourages students to take the ACT or SAT because it will help them understand their skill set in that realm of academic achievement. Those results can help students and their advisers plan a course of action during their collegiate studies that will provide them the best chance for success, she said.

Dr. Williams said Tusculum understands, though, the obstacles students might have experienced with taking the SAT and ACT this year because of the pandemic.

For more information about the admission process and other elements of the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.