University of California Will No Longer Accept SAT or ACT

University of California will not utilize SAT and ACT results in admissions or scholarship choices for its system of ten institutions, which includes some of the nation's most sought-after universities, according to a settlement in a lawsuit made by students.

The University of California-Berkeley, the University of California-Los Angeles - UCLA - and the University of California-Santa Barbara are among the system's well-known schools.

A Board of Regents oversees the University of California system. The governor of the state appoints the majority of them. The Board of Regents said in mid-November that it had been unable to find a suitable alternative for the SAT and ACT examinations. There will not be a fresh test anytime soon, according to the board.

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In recent years, standardised tests have been a source of controversy and legal action. The COVID-19 epidemic has had a role in the conflict. Many colleges determined that students would have to choose whether or not to submit test scores with their applications.

They're known as "test-optional" schools since they don't force students to take standardized tests. The University of Chicago is one of the most well-known schools in this category.

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Colleges and universities have reported receiving higher applications from students in general in the recent two years. They have received a greater number of applications from minority groups in particular.

Traditional standardised tests, according to critics, do not accurately indicate how well children would perform in college. Furthermore, they claim that certain firms have constructed high-priced exam preparation programs that not every student can afford. 

As a result, they claim that wealthy students, particularly white or Asian pupils, are in a better position.

Supporters of the examinations argue that they assist students who struggled in high school to demonstrate that they can succeed in college. They are concerned that eliminating the examinations may prevent such youngsters from enrolling in reputable universities.

A group led by the Compton Unified School District in California filed a lawsuit against the University of California system two years ago. It demanded that institutions no longer compel students to take standardised tests. Many Black and Hispanic pupils in Compton do not apply to selective institutions.

The University and the groups struck an agreement in May 2021. For the four years ending in 2025, it indicated it will discontinue utilising the SAT and ACT. It also agreed to pay more than a million dollars in legal fees.

The University of California then decided to investigate if the examinations enabled the institution to annually recruit a diverse and capable group of students. According to their findings, standardised examinations can help predict student achievement, including grades. Nonetheless, the institution chose to alter its testing policies.

In addition, she said the professors in the study group worried that adding “high stakes” to the Smarter Balanced test would lead to companies creating new, costly test-preparation classes.

Michael Brown is a leader of the University of California system, called the provost. He announced the final decision: “UC will continue to practice test-free admission now and into the future.”

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf is a reporter for HigherEdDive, a website that covers higher education in the U.S. He said that the major universities in California permanently removing the standardized tests, and the other universities will also do the same

“Higher education is very much a case of following the leader,” he said. “Colleges don’t necessarily always want to act unless they see their peers doing the same thing.”

“The U.C. system very publicly doing away with these tests will reverberate, especially through California. But you know, [also through] other institutions that might be looked at as competitive.”

Starting in 2005, a study published earlier this year looked at test-optional admissions. It was discovered that schools that implemented the measure had an increase in first-time minority and female students.

Fewer pupils will take the examinations if additional schools follow California's lead and eliminate the requirement. According to Bauer-Wolf, this will damage the firms who make the tests.

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