UC schools drop standardized testing requirements due to the COVID-19 test cancellations

Clare Beezhold 

The University of California system dropped their SAT and ACT requirement for students applying in the fall of 2020 and 2021 according to a statement released Apr. 1 due to the cancellations of tests during the coronavirus pandemic.   

The stay-at-home orders caused the College Board and ACT Inc to cancel several administrations of the test including the Apr. 4 ACT and May 2 SAT. Under the circumstances, several universities suspended the standardized test requirements for 2021 freshmen. 

“Honestly, to me it makes sense and I think the virus just sped up the process because some schools were already dropping that requirement,” senior Olivia Rudow said. “ I have always thought those tests were a little unfair because you can be really intellectual but not be a good test taker and that test score could be a reason you don’t go to your dream school.”

The UC system has 10 campuses in the cities of Davis, San Francisco, Berkley, Santa Cruz, Merced, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Riverside, Irvine and San Diego. The debate over whether schools should require standardized testing is not new with nearly 1,100 schools not requiring them already, according to Fairtest. Researchers argue standardized tests favor the wealthy who have the ability to hire tutors and retake tests. 

“I think the UCs dropping their SAT/ACT requirements is a good thing because the test scores could be the one thing weighing a person’s application down,” junior Rachel Abbe said. “I am still taking the ACT and I think that puts me and other students at an advantage of admission.”

The UC schools are not alone in dropping the SAT and ACT requirement as have other highly selective schools including Cornell University, Harvard University, Williams College and Amherst College. As of now, the requirements are only being lifted for students applying as a freshman in the fall of 2021.  

“While standardized tests do provide a basis for students around the world, I can see how they can be ineffective when you take into account how different students have access to different resources,” UCLA student Sydney Pell said. “Hopefully, taking away these tests will even the playing field for all students wanting to apply.”