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ERIC Number: ED609709
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Nov
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Using the SAT® in Merit-Based Scholarship Decisions and Selection for Competitive Academic Programs
Westrick, Paul A.; Marini, Jessica P.; Shaw, Emily J.
College Board
This report examines the value of SAT scores for determining merit-based scholarship decisions as well as admission to highly selective academic programs such as honors programs or colleges. Results show that the SAT is a highly effective tool for predicting students' chances of earning a first-year grade point average (FYGPA) of 3.00 or higher and 3.50 or higher, common performance thresholds for retaining scholarships beyond the first year and for participation in honors programs. In particular, findings show that SAT scores and HSGPA are both related to academic performance in college, but with more than two-thirds of incoming college students being "A" students in high school, the SAT provides critical, additive information about which students will be among the very highest performers in college. Colleges can use SAT scores to confidently identify admitted students who have the highest probabilities of earning the grades required to retain scholarships and participate in honors programs. Colleges can also use SAT scores to identify students who may benefit from additional academic support and mentoring to ensure that they retain their scholarship funding and participation in honors programs beyond the first year. Having a more accurate understanding of students' future performance helps colleges and universities to most appropriately allocate precious financial and staff resources to support successful outcomes for the student body and the entire campus community. In the current year, a pandemic has disrupted education at all levels, and it has added to the difficulties that enrollment managers face when making decisions regarding admissions and financial aid. Not all students will have SAT scores. However, when scores are available, the results of this study show that an SAT score can be a highly valuable input that helps institutions make these important decisions.
College Board. 250 Vesey Street, New York, NY 10281. Tel: 212-713-8000; e-mail: research@collegeboard.org; Web site: http://research.collegeboard.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: College Board
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A