Following in the footsteps of Princeton and other elite institutions, Brown University announced that 24 graduate programs would eliminate the GRE test as an admission requirement. The Brown announcement is an interesting window into shifting norms around standardized testing for admissions.
The announcement indicates that this is part of an effort to broaden the pool of talent applying for graduate school programs at Brown. University representatives cited the barriers posed by preparing for and taking the test and noted that information from the test had become less important in admissions decisions in recent years.
None of the issues raised in the announcement seem to be related to recent changes in conditions so it is not clear exactly what motivated the change at this particular time. It will be worth watching to see whether the changes at Princeton and now Brown are the result of institutionally specific concerns or if they are part of a larger trend. Deciding to admit students based on less information is not without its downside so it will be interesting to learn whether dropping the test requirement has any impact on applications.
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