This isn’t that surprising if you know anything about Hampshire. They operate on a pass or fail basis with no letter grades.

Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed reported.

‘Test-Blind’ Admissions

More than 800 four-year colleges and universities do not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores. But of these “test-optional” colleges, the competitive ones will look at scores that are submitted. And most selective, test-optional colleges report that a majority of applicants (typically a large majority) submit scores.

On Wednesday, Hampshire College announced that it would become the only such college that will be “test-blind,” meaning that it will not look at SAT or ACT scores even if applicants submit them.

In a statement, Meredith Twombly, dean of admissions and financial aid, said that the college was concerned about the way wealthier students do better on standardized tests, and that it was inconsistent to say that the college doubted the value of standardized tests while continuing to look at them.

“Tests aren’t part of Hampshire’s pedagogy, so why would we use a test to determine which students would thrive here?” she said. “The SAT is essentially one test on one day in a given year. Students’ high school academic records, their history of civic engagement, their letters of recommendation from mentors, and their ability to represent themselves through their essays trump anything the SAT could tell us.”