On May 21, the University of California Board of Regents unanimously voted to eliminate the SAT and ACT submission requirement in the admissions process until fall of 2024.

According to a press release, UC President Janet Napolitan said the Board is working on creating a new standardized test, most likely completed by January 2021. Students can still have the opportunity to submit their SAT and ACT scores for selection consideration in 2021 and 2022 application seasons. Students who choose to submit their SAT scores in these years do not have to submit the writing portion of the test.

For those who do submit their SAT/ACT scores, they will only be considered for course placement and scholarship opportunities.

“This decision will force college admissions to look further into other aspects of the application,” said Miami Palmetto Senior High School junior Julian Orrego. “…people who are not the best at standardized tests will no longer be hindered by them.”

The Board of Regents also voted for schools to become “test blind” in 2023 and 2024, meaning campuses will not consider test scores in the admissions process. If the new standardized test process turns out successful, this may change in 2025. California schools could eliminate the SAT/ACT requirement completely — electing to implement their own test instead. 

UC has researched the role of standardized tests in student applications for over two years. President Napolitano consulted with the Academic Senate to further evaluate this role, which led to the creation of the Standardized Testing Task Force (STTF). This task force continues to examine the value of these tests in different settings and their use in the admissions process.

Many universities have dropped the SAT/ACT requirement for fall 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to The National Center for Fair and Open Testing’s list, over 50 schools have eliminated the admissions requirement for current high school seniors.

“It provides relief to students who were strongly affected by COVID,” Orrego said. “…colleges taking extra precautions to make sure students feel comfortable during this time is great.”