Baylor Halts Incentives to Retake SATs

Baylor University announced it would no longer pay enrolled freshmen to retake the SAT, the Associated Press reports. The program, which began this summer, gave a $300 bookstore credit to entering freshmen who retook the tests; if students improved their score by 50 points, they would also receive $1,000 scholarships or could take advantage of merit scholarships if their new test scores let them qualify. The practice was highly criticized, and the school was accused of trying to improperly boost its SAT average and, by extension, its ranking.

Students can still retake the SAT but won't be given any financial incentives for doing so. "Was the financial incentive, at a minimum, did it have the appearance of impropriety, and was it going to raise unnecessary questions? Yeah, I think we goofed on that," said the school's spokesman.