Sep 11, 2014 09:40 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Rowan University in New Jersey will offer certain prospective students the option of writing an extra essay in lieu of submitting SAT or ACT scores, The Inquirer reported.

The South Jersey school implemented the test-optional program to allow students who have good grades, but low test scores, a fairer shot at getting into college. Students with 3.5 grade-point average [GPA] will be eligible for this option.

"We're using it as an access tool," Joe Cardona, a university spokesman, told NJ.com.

The university rejected about 900 students last year who had good grades but had low SAT or ACT scores. This year more than 2,000 students were accepted to the university, its largest freshman class to date.

"Obviously, those kids are succeeding," Cardona said. "We've always looked at different things. Colleges and universities have done it for years but formalizing that process is a little more new."

Rowan University's Director of Admissions Al Betts said the "move came as a response to increasing criticism of standardized testing," NJ.com reported. School officials began to examine the importance of SAT scores vs. high school grades, among other traditional admissions factors.

"We've actually been looking at this for several years -- about five years," Al Betts, the university's director of admissions, told The Inquirer. "We found, like a lot of schools, that the correlation between the [high school and freshman year] GPAs is by far the best predictor of academic success."

Students who qualify for the test-optional program will need to answer this additional, 375- to 500-word essay question:

"Describe your long-term life goals and how your strengths and weaknesses as a student may impact achieving those goals."

Rowan University joins a slew of schools, including Montclair State University, that have eliminated or reduced standardized-test requirements for admission. It's the 10^th school this summer to announce a test-optional policy this summer.

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