On May 14, 2021, University of California (UC) officials agreed to extend “test-free” admissions policies through Fall 2025, meaning SAT or ACT scores will not be required nor considered in either admissions or scholarship considerations for the next four application cycles. Current Class of 2022 high school juniors through current eighth graders will be affected by the settlement agreement in Smith v. Regents of the University of California.
Furthermore, UC leadership formally announced that they have no plans to resume the requirement of SAT or ACT scores after 2025, unlike the May 2020 statement declaring UC was considering various options to reintroduce standardized test scores in admissions.
As part of the settlement, SAT, ACT or SAT Subject Test scores can be used to a student’s advantage in three ways:
- SAT or ACT scores can be used as substitutes for placement exams for entry college level courses, in case a student chooses to enroll at a UC campus.
- Additionally, applicants can still elect to qualify for admissions by exam by submitting SAT or ACT scores, if they do not otherwise meet the minimum academic requirements for admissions eligibility. However, only UC Office of the President officials will know which students qualify for eligibility by exam until after individual UC campus admissions staff evaluate and decide a student’s admissions, ensuring all evaluations will remain test-free.
- SAT Subject Test scores (a test which The College Board discontinued after the upcoming June 2021 test administration) can be considered in admissions or scholarship decisions, if the student chooses to submit scores.
In the midst of our eighteenth year advising applicants and their families about complex educational decisions, including applying to colleges throughout the US, contact Creative Marbles Consultancy’s experts for help making the most valuable investment in a college education.
