Aug 17, 2015 12:14 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of Saint Joseph in Connecticut will no longer require standardized test scores for admissions, joining the growing list of colleges to become SAT/ACT Test optional, school officials announced.

After years of requiring standardized scores for admission, the Roman Catholic college announced that it has decided to embrace the emerging test-optional policy beginning with students enrolling in the fall of 2016, Inside Higher Ed reported.

"Our new admissions protocol underscores the University of Saint Joseph's longstanding reliance on evaluating students based on achievements within their high school curriculum as the best indication of aptitude and ultimate success," Edwin Harris, interim vice president for Enrollment Management, said in a statement.

This new policy reflects a movement across higher education indicated most recently by one of the largest schools to date, The George Washington University.

There are a few exceptions to the new policy. Applicants who wish to be considered for the Honors, direct-entry Nursing, 3+3 Pharmacy, or pre-Physician Assistant programs are required to submit SAT or ACT scores. In addition, applicants who wish to be considered for Academic Merit Scholarships or who have been home schooled during high school must submit test scores.

The National Center for Fair & Open Testing reports that more than 850 accredited bachelor-degree granting schools now do not require all or many applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, including more than 165 schools ranked in the top tiers of their categories.

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