The Effect of the UC Testing Decision

The UC system, starting with the class of 2022 admissions, will no longer consider ACT or SAT scores during admissions decisions. Their decision is the culmination of a lawsuit, filed in 2019, that claimed test requirements give an unfair advantage to students of a high socioeconomic status. The lawsuit’s resolution is in contrast to the research completed in February of 2020 by UC faculty, which concluded test scores help to identify stand-out first generation and low-income students in admissions.

The UC’s new plan is to hold test-blind admissions from 2022-24, and then consider reworking an existing exam to fit their admissions requirements starting in 2025. Students will still be able to submit test scores as part of their application, which can be used as an alternative method of fulfilling eligibility requirements  or in lieu of course placement exams.

This past admissions cycle, the UC’s were also test-blind for admissions purposes. Removal of the testing requirement caused a large increase in applications and, therefore, a smaller percent of accepted applicants. While test scores in combination with an otherwise strong application used to give students a more reliable idea of their chances of admission, one less objective measure leaves a bigger gray area for what differentiates one student from another. 

What does this mean for the value of taking a standardized test? If you’re only applying to schools and scholarships in the UC system, test scores will not be a factor in your acceptance. Notably, other colleges have not followed suit. Many schools have decided to stay test-optional for future admissions cycles as opposed to going test-blind, stating that “scores are too useful to abandon altogether.” This wave of test-optional schools will give students whose high school grades aren’t representative of ability and students who may not have the time or money to fill their application with extracurriculars an opportunity to showcase their potential. However, even test-blind schools may require test scores for merit scholarship consideration or for entrance into highly competitive majors and programs.