Postdoctoral Lecture – Test-Optional Admissions and Equality Implications: Evidence from the United States
Date: Monday, April 27, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM-2:30 PM
Location: PCN 2012, 6445 University Blvd
Speaker: Dr. Qi Zheng, EDST Postdoctoral Research Fellow
RSVP: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3IUJ7VJxXH5lqM6
Abstract
In the United States, standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) have long been used in university admissions decisions. However, the use of test scores has been questioned both for their predictive power for college performance and for their strong association with students’ socioeconomic backgrounds. In response, most institutions have adopted “test-optional” policies, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing applicants to choose whether to submit standardized test scores.
While such policies are often justified as expanding access, there remains limited evidence on whether they reduce disparities at the admissions stage itself, or whether they introduce new equality-related concerns. Using administrative application data from approximately 300,000 applicants to a selective public flagship university, combined with external datasets including U.S. Census data, Zillow housing values, and high school report cards, this lecture addresses three key questions:
(1) Do students from different contexts navigate test-disclosure decisions similarly?
(2) Did admission disparities between low- and high-SES applicants narrow following policy implementation?
(3) To what extent would these disparities change if low- and high-SES applicants had similar test score performance?
Findings indicate that although disclosure behaviors vary across high schools and neighborhoods, SES-based admission disparities significantly decreased following the adoption of test-optional policies. Most of this reduction is attributable to changes in test score information available to admissions reviewers. The study contributes to broader discussions on how college admissions policies shape socioeconomic disparities in access to selective higher education.
Bio
Qi Zheng is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia and a Research Affiliate with the SSTAR Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned his Ph.D. in Educational Policy Analysis. He also holds an M.A. in Economics of Education from Peking University and a B.A. in Educational Studies from Northeast Normal University.
He applies data-driven approaches to generate evidence-based insights and develop actionable strategies for practitioners and policymakers across K–12 and higher education systems. His research examines how education policies and institutional practices shape inequality and student success, with particular attention to expanding college access, addressing teacher sorting, and identifying strategies that improve teacher effectiveness, ultimately advancing the public good through education.
His work has been published in leading journals across education, sociology, and economics, including Higher Education, Social Science Research, China Economic Review, and International Journal of Educational Development. He has received research awards from the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP), the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), the China Institute for Educational Finance Research, and the Forum on Empirical Education Research.
RSVP: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3IUJ7VJxXH5lqM6