The policy
First-year and transfer applicants to UW–Porter Falls may submit ACT or SAT scores or leave them off. The choice is yours, and an application without scores is read in full on everything else. The policy applies to admission and to automatic merit scholarships. Porter adopted it for fall 2021 entry and made it permanent in 2024 after three years of data.
If you send scores, self-report them on the application. An official score report is needed only if you enroll and want the score used for placement. A longer description of how files are read is on how Porter reviews applications.
What the numbers show
| Fall 2026 first-year applicants | Figure |
|---|---|
| Applications | 6,140 |
| Applicants who submitted a score | 37% |
| Admission rate, score submitters | 81% |
| Admission rate, non-submitters | 79% |
| Middle 50% ACT composite (submitters) | 20–26 |
| Middle 50% SAT total (submitters) | 1030–1240 |
The two-point gap in admission rates disappears once high school GPA and course rigor are accounted for. Porter’s Office of Institutional Research also tracks first-year college GPA: after controlling for high school grades, submitters and non-submitters finish their first year within 0.04 grade points of each other. That is the reason the policy stayed.
Should you send yours?
- Send it if your composite is at or above the middle of the range above, or if it is stronger than your grades suggest — a 27 next to a 3.0 GPA tells a reader something useful.
- Leave it off if it sits well below the range and your grades are solid. A blank is never read as a negative.
- Superscoring: Porter uses your highest section scores across test dates.
- Changing your mind: you can ask your counselor to remove a self-reported score any time before your file is reviewed.
Without scores, the weight falls on the courses you chose and the grades in them, especially math and science for engineering and health programs. First-year admission requirements shows what readers look for.
Where a score still does something
| Situation | How scores are used |
|---|---|
| Math placement | An ACT math score of 24+ or SAT math of 580+ waives the placement assessment and places you into the calculus-ready sequence. Everyone else takes the online assessment; see the placement testing guide. |
| Homeschool applicants | A score is one of four options for outside evidence, not a requirement; see homeschool applicants. |
| Outside scholarships | Some private and employer scholarships ask for scores. That is their rule, not Porter’s. |
| International applicants | ACT/SAT optional, but English proficiency is a separate requirement; see international admissions. |
| Athletics | NCAA Division III sets no test requirement. |
Taking the test anyway
Porter’s Testing Center in Halvorsen Library hosts national ACT test dates on December 12, 2026, and February 6, April 10 and June 12, 2027. Register through the testing agency, not through Porter. Juniors deciding whether to test at all should read the junior timeline first; seniors can apply now and add a score later if a new one comes in higher.
Common questions
- Will not sending scores hurt my scholarship chances?
- No. Automatic merit awards such as the President’s and Founders’ Scholarships are based on GPA and course rigor; a score is considered only when it helps. See scholarship deadlines for the dates that do matter.
- Does any Porter program require scores?
- No. Nursing and the design programs have extra steps — prerequisite grades, a portfolio — but not a test.
- I already sent an official score report. Can you ignore it?
- Yes. Tell your counselor before your file is reviewed and the score is set aside.
- Do transfer applicants need scores?
- No. Transfer decisions rest on college coursework.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. The test-optional policy, score ranges, admission rates, research findings and test dates on this page are invented for a fictional university and say nothing about any real college or testing program.