NCC and the SAT

Ah, fall.  Time for pumpkins and apple cider.  And for admissions reps like me, it’s time to hit the road, visiting high schools and attending college fairs to meet students like you.

Believe it or not, I enjoy talking to students about NCC or college in general.  When I'm on the road, there’s one question that always comes up, as sure as the leaves turning red and orange:  

Do I have to take the SAT to come to NCC?

The short answer is:  No.

For those of you who like to know the details, here’s the long answer:

Many private and public colleges use SAT exams as a way to determine the future success of a student.  Unfortunately, the SAT is also a way to keep out students who don’t score high enough.

A community college is different.  Our mission is to open the door for everyone.  We want to give all students equal access to an education and the job opportunities that come with it.  For that reason, we don’t require any student to take the SAT.

Everyone who applies to the college is accepted.  But you don’t expect us to let you take any class you want without first making sure that you have the skills to succeed in it, do you?

This is why we use placement tests in Math and English to assess a student’s ability in those areas.  You can’t fail either test.  Based on your score, you may be required to take developmental courses to prepare you for college-level work.

Of course, many of our students do take the SAT – mostly because they are looking at other schools and keeping their options open (which is always a good idea).  If this applies to you, we can use these scores for placement into Math and English courses.  In most cases, your scores will appear on your high school transcript.

To sum it up, although we don't require you to take the SAT, we can use your scores.  We can also use PSSA scores.  More information about using these scores for placement is here.