Changes To College Admissions? SAT Adds 'Adversity Score' That Measures Student's Hardships

The SAT, a standardized test used to gauge a student's academic readiness for college, will now have an "adversity score" which will take into consideration a student's socioeconomic background.

The score will take into account a student's family background, their neighborhood and what type of high school they went to, as public schools differ across the country. The score will be ranked from 0 to 100, with 100 being the highest level of hardship. Any score above 50 indicates adversity, while below 50 means economic privilege.

The formal name of the score is called the "Overall Disadvantage Level."

David Coleman, the CEO of the College Board which administers the SAT, said that the score "enable colleges to witness the strength of a huge swath of the country who would otherwise be overlooked."

The Wall Street Journal reported that the score will be kept hidden from the student, but the university will be able to view the score and take it into account when considering college admissions. The score was offered to 50 schools last year but will be expanded to 150 universities by this fall.

The "adversity score" is being added to the tests as the U.S. faces a college admissions scandal where wealthy parents bribed elite colleges so that their children would be admitted.

Several celebrities were found tied to the scandal, such as "Full House" star Lori Loughlin and "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman.