Colleges are addicted to the new normal and will never go back. Applications surge by tens of thousands -> colleges make more of the $75 application fees. Acceptance rates go down -> your ranking in USNews goes up. Average ACT score increases (because why would you submit an under average score now) -> you can make your school look more prestigious than it actually is. Is any of this good for students? Standards can only continue to drop so low.
Just look at Harvard. Since they don't require any additional essays applying there is now literally just a button press away - wouldn't you?
I suspect the new normal of not requiring test scores has at least as much to do with university admissions feeling more free to mold their incoming classes without the pressure of maintaining a ranking stat (test scores).
I never understood the pressure for highest SAT average. There are way more people with lower scores who want an education, and they don't want to go to a school where they have the lowest "aptitude" or preparation.
I want to play professional basketball with players of extremely high aptitude but I’m 5 foot 7 and can’t shoot or dribble. Somehow the Bulls aren’t interested in me
It's the difference between a revenue stream and a sum of assets under management. The $50B isn't liquid and can't be used to distribute bonuses. The yearly $75,000 however can be distributed among admissions office admin with impunity, for the labor of accepting file uploads.
More applicants at the same number of acceptances makes the school literally more exclusive. They think that a smaller reported % makes them look better.
Just look at Harvard. Since they don't require any additional essays applying there is now literally just a button press away - wouldn't you?