With the requirements for standardized test scores significantly relaxed for Fall 2021 admissions, some local colleges have seen their applications jump significantly, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Swarthmore College has registered a 12 percent increase in applications from the year before.

This increase in submitted applications, nearly half of which arrived without SAT and ACT scores, will make it even harder for students to get into the most elite schools.

“At Swarthmore, it’s going to be more selective, even on the same sized class,” said Jim Bock, vice president and dean of admissions.

Bock said that around two-thirds of the growth in submissions can be attributed to international applicants.

He added that having applicants without test scores did not make it harder to select early-decision students. He also added that applicants without test came from varied races, family income levels, and geography backgrounds.

Meanwhile Bryn Mawr College, which did not require that applicants submit standardized test scores even before the coronavirus outbreak, has also seen an increase in submissions. But the school had more modest growth of three percent.

Read more about the increase in applications at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.