CUMBERLAND — Standardized tests will remain a requirement for admission to Frostburg State University, officials there say, despite a nationwide trend toward test-optional college admission.

Once a trademark of small liberal arts colleges, the test-optional policy has recently been adopted by larger schools, such as Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

In Maryland, Salisbury University is poised to become the first public university to permanently discard the standardized test admission requirement. McDaniel College, Washington College and Goucher College already have ended reliance on standardized tests for admission, and Loyola University Maryland is in the process of converting.

FSU has no immediate plans to eliminate the tests, said Wray Blair, associate vice president of enrollment. But unlike many schools, FSU has never had a rigid system for determining how high a student must score on the SAT or ACT to gain entry.

“We use somewhat of a sliding scale,” Blair said, adding that a student’s grade-point average in high school has always carried more weight than standardized test scores at FSU. “We’re not as demanding on the SAT for students who have very strong academic performances in high school.”

Standardized college tests, particularly the SAT, have been under fire for several years for alleged racial and ethnic bias. According to FairTest, an organization that highlights biases in standardized tests, going test-optional allows schools to attract a more diverse student body. In November, FairTest reported that more than 830 American colleges and universities are test-optional, representing one-third of all accredited schools.

But test-optional policies vary widely. At Goucher College, for example, students aren’t required to submit test scores regardless of GPA or class rank. At Salisbury College, only students who have GPAs of 3.5 or higher don’t have to submit standardized test scores.

“In some ways, we’re doing something similar,” Blair said, adding that the test-optional topic has come up locally, but no changes have been made to admissions policies.

“We find in most cases, the best indicator of a student’s success in college is how well they performed in high school,” Blair said. “We look at the rigor of a student’s transcript, what courses they’ve taken. Indications that they’ve taken strong programs — honors or AP (advanced placement) programs — those things we feel have a lot of value because it really shows student preparation.”

Standardized test scores give admissions officials a sense of a student’s “strengths and weaknesses,” Blair said, and are used for placement purposes.

The same is true at Allegany College of Maryland, where standardized tests are required for students enrolling in selective admissions programs such as allied health. Those students are facing tougher requirements than in years past, as ACM has increased the minimum scores for admission, said Shauna McQuade, director of communications.

But SAT/ACT scores aren’t required for general admission to ACM.

“Community colleges generally have an open-door policy,” said McQuade, adding that officials at ACM haven’t seriously discussed test-optional policies. At the state level, though, it’s a hot topic.

“We expect it will continue to come up around the state,” McQuade said.

At Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser, W.Va., a minimum standardized test score isn’t required for admission, but the tests are used for placement purposes, said Beth Little, director of enrollment.

“We’re primarily an open institution,” Little said. “It gives us a baseline.”

Capital News Service contributed to this story.

Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kharty@times-news.com.