How Colleges Use ACT Results
High schools
High schools use ACT results in academic advising and counseling. They also use ACT results in:
- evaluating the effectiveness of instruction
- identifying students who need special help with certain subject areas or academic skills
- planning changes and improvements in the curriculum
Colleges
Colleges use ACT results in a variety of ways:
- Admissions decisions
ACT test results, high school grades, academic preparation, out-of-class accomplishments, and future plans—these and other kinds of information help admissions officials identify applicants who can benefit most from their programs. - Course placement
Colleges usually try to take into account individual strengths and weaknesses as they place students in first-year courses. For example, a college may offer three sections of a subject—developmental, regular, and advanced. A student's ACT test results, academic background, and high school grades might be used to determine which section would be most appropriate. - Academic advising
College academic advisors may consider ACT results, high school academic program, high school grades, planned extracurricular activities, areas in which there is a need for help, and part-time employment plans to help a student tailor an appropriate program of study. - Scholarships and loans
Some scholarship and loan agencies may use ACT test results with other information such as high school grades to identify qualified candidates. However, the agencies may not look only at academic potential. The ACT score report provides information about a student's educational needs, extracurricular achievements, and educational plans. This information, along with high school grades and test scores, helps the agencies evaluate applications for scholarships, loans, and other financial assistance.
Using ACT Writing results
If you took the ACT Plus Writing, the colleges and high school to which you have ACT report your scores will receive your Writing scores and comments along with your subject area scores and Composite score.
These colleges and your high school will also have the option to access an image of your essay online.
- Colleges may choose to review individual essays to help make admissions or course placement decisions.
- High schools may choose to review individual essays to monitor student achievement levels and guide their curriculum decisions.