SAT / ACT

The University of Puget Sound policy regarding standardized testing follows:

As we assess an applicant's preparation for coursework at Puget Sound, we are most interested in the courses taken and the grades a student has received in these. Since we receive applications from 1500 high schools across the country and around the world, standardized tests help us by providing a uniform assessment across the applicant pool. The results of standardized testing assist the admission staff in reviewing and evaluating a student's preparation for work at Puget Sound. In our evaluation, these results are secondary to the courses taken and grades received in high school.

We will take the single highest score (SAT V or M or the ACT equivalent) for a student who has completed the SAT. For the foreseeable future, we will record the SAT or ACT writing score, but will not require it as a part of a completed freshman admission application. Since we review applications in an individual and holistic fashion, writing samples submitted by the applicant are an important part of our evaluation of a student's preparation to handle the rigorous writing expectations of the Puget Sound faculty.

We encourage students applying for admission for the Fall of 2008 to take the SAT with the writing section because we often find that a student's senior year verbal and mathematics scores rise from those recorded in the junior year. However, we will accept SAT scores from tests which do not include the writing section, presumably taken during the junior year. We do not require the ACT writing, but would appreciate receiving the results of the writing test from candidates who have taken this test. Similarly, we do not require SAT subject tests, but do appreciate receiving the results of these tests, if they have been taken.