SAT Reading and College Enrollment Gaps

By Yesenia Ayala

Recently the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) released a report titled Take Two! SAT Retaking and College Enrollment Gaps. This report considered SAT retaking trends in light of students’ socio-economic status and race and considered the impact that retaking college entrance exams had on college enrollment rates.

Among the findings:

• Half of students in the United States who take the SAT retake the SAT.
• In 2016, 83% of high-income students immediately enrolled in college after high school in comparison to 67% of low-income students.
• States that have mandated the SAT have improved their students’ four-year college enrollment rates (especially among underrepresented students).
• Retaking the SAT improved students’ admissions-relevant scores equivalent to 90 points on a 2,400-point scale.
• For students who initially scored in the lower half of the SAT distribution, retaking the exam increased their scores equivalent to 120 points on a 2,400-point scale.
• Retaking the SAT increased four-year college enrollment rates by 30 percentage points among low-income students. These students also tended to enroll in institutions with higher graduation rates (on average, 16 percentage points higher).
• The report suggested that retake rates could close 20 percent of the income gap and 10 percent of the racial gap in four-year college enrollment given the evidence that retaking can improve the college enrollment outcomes of students- particularly those who were initially low-scoring or are traditionally underrepresented in higher education.