Oct 09, 2015 02:23 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of Massachusetts at Lowell will no longer require test scores for admissions, joining the growing list of colleges to become SAT/ACT test optional.

After years of requiring standardized scores for admission, the four-year college has decided to embrace the emerging test-optional policy.

According to Inside Higher Ed reported, school officials from the public university sent an email to high school counselors informing them of their policy change and explaining that they "feel this more inclusive approach is fairer to students and will help more of them find a right fit at UMass Lowell."

National studies have also pointed to the need for more flexibility for students when applying to college. A study conducted by the University of California at Berkeley found that high school grade point average was the best predictor of student success.

According to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), bachelor-degree granting schools now do not require all or many applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores. This includes more than one-third of the top-ranked liberal arts colleges

UMass Lowell's policy change is part of a pilot program the school has implemented. Students who "wish may continue to submit test scores," Inside Higher Ed reported. 

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