While Indian universities use a wide range of exams such as JEE, CUET, NEET, and more, in accordance with the courses they have to offer, many private institutions are increasingly favouring the SAT.
Prominent private institutions, including Ahmedabad University, Ashoka University, Bennett University, BITS Pilani, FLAME University, NMIMS, and Krea University, now accept SAT scores from resident/non-resident Indians and international applicants.
Rushi Sheth, Vice President (International), College Board, highlighted the importance of expanding opportunities for Indian students.
“There are opportunities for excellent education in India so our goal is to not see successful outcomes only in the form of outbound migration,” said Sheth.
It is not about identifying the top students and exporting them to the US, but about making Indian students understand the options that are available to them here.
Rushi Sheth, The College Board
“So when we think about where we want to invest in India, it is not about identifying the top students and exporting them to the US, but about making Indian students understand the options that are available to them here.”
The College Board recently hosted the India Global Higher Education Alliance Forum 2024 in New Delhi, which focused on ensuring successful student transitions to higher education, aimed at Indian institutions.
The not-for-profit organisation recently established the India Scholars program to help low-income students from India.
The program provides lower-income students from India options through which they can save money as they plan for university, which includes a 90% discount on SAT registration fees and scholarships at participating institutions.
While income-eligible students, studying in grades 11 and 12, with annual family income less than INR 8,00,000 can access the registration, those with annual income between INR 8,00,000 and INR 1,500,000 can receive a 50% discount.
Moreover, income-eligible students who get a total SAT score of 1300 or higher may also qualify for a merit-cum-need scholarship at participating universities.
“We are looking to retain and secure more partners for the India Scholars Program. We are excited to expand it with not just the number of scholarships but also through our financial contribution to the program,” said Sheth.
According to Sheth, the College Board is looking to broaden the scholarship program by 2025.
“We want to be a complementary piece to the education landscape in India. We are also aiming to connect with Indian schools and let them know the many options they can access through the College Board.”
In order to be more flexible with how the SAT is given, the College Board launched the digital SAT in 2023.
Prospective college students are still required to go to a testing site in person, but they now take the exam on a personal laptop or tablet, a school-issued device, or a borrowed device provided by the College Board.
The digital SAT is composed of two sections, the reading, writing, and math sections, and it is also much shorter – down to two hours from three.
However, concerns remain about whether testing centres in certain destinations will have the necessary technology to administer the SAT and how broader test security issues will be dealt with.
On the question of how the College Board will deliver the SAT in countries or regions where internet access could be an issue, Sheth maintained that the digital SAT is designed to accommodate such gaps in technology.
“Students taking a digital SAT, anywhere in the world, only require a wifi connection two times, at the beginning when they are unlocking the test and at the end to submit their answers,” said Sheth.
“So we want to make sure that test centres have some form of wifi network or cellular connection to launch a student’s exam.”
Previously the SAT has been called off in three countries, with the exam also being hit by security breaches in countries across Asia.
Reports have suggested that in some cases, the College Board was aware of certain security issues and still went ahead with the tests.
“The biggest risk to us has been the idea that someone is breaking into a locked room and stealing a paper copy of an assessment. This has traditionally been the strongest security threat that we have faced in our 120-year long history,” said Sheth.
“But as the world becomes more digitally connected, it becomes much easier to transmit information in real time. This has been one of the biggest motivating factors of our decision to move to digital assessments.”
According to Sheth, digital SAT allows the College Board to expand access in places while assuring that not all the students will be impacted even if one student’s test is compromised.
According to Sheth, nearly 2 million students took the SAT in 2024, up from 1.9 million in 2023.
“I think participation in the SAT is growing. It is nearing the pre-pandemic levels. Students certainly enjoy the experience of using their own devices.”
Many SAT testing sites closed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, as US colleges and universities made the test optional.
But major institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Yale University, and the University of Texas at Austin have now reinstated the exam as part of their first-year application process.
The ability of SAT scores to help predict first-year college performance and provide admissions officers with context for evaluating a student’s potential, has come up repeatedly in college announcements about the test’s reintroduction.
“We know that universities can benefit from this predictive value of the SAT score. It’s also a much shorter test for students now. We have also now increased our free resources for students,” said Sheth.
Registration for the 2025 AP exams is now open on the College Board website, with the application deadline set for November 15.
The acceptance of AP scores for college credit is gaining momentum in India.
Universal AI University in Karjat, Mumbai, recently became the first Indian institution to formally recognise AP credits.
“We are evolving our AP programs to incorporate things that students can then invest their personal ambitions and academic interests,” said Sheth.
“AP Seminar, for example, offers a college-level discussion experience, where students drive their own learning by exploring topics of personal interest, from climate change and fashion trends to economic disparity across countries.”
