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The University of California has asked an academic committee to review its use of standardized tests, reopening a debate over the SAT and ACT that UC ended for freshman admissions in 2020. No decision to restore a testing requirement has been announced; a committee report is due Feb. 12, with Academic Senate recommendations expected by June.
The University of California is re-examining its test-blind admissions policy, asking an academic committee to report by Feb. 12 on the system’s use of the SAT and ACT. The review comes amid calls from some faculty to restore testing, but UC has not announced a decision to bring back an admissions requirement.
After UC stopped using SAT and ACT scores in freshman admissions in 2020, systemwide measures cited in the report did not show the declines that an earlier task force had warned could follow. Average first-year GPAs have risen since 2021, the first year students entered under the new policy, while graduation rates have inched up and more students have returned for their second year. Those figures are part of the debate, not proof that every student is academically prepared.
Roughly 3,000 current and former UC professors launched a campaign this summer through two open letters calling for standardized tests to return. They argue that more students show weak math and writing skills and that scores could help identify applicants who may struggle with college-level work. The professors represent a small share of UC’s roughly 26,000 faculty members.
The process now runs through UC’s academic bodies. A committee of academics is to issue a detailed report by Feb. 12; the UC Academic Senate is expected to propose recommendations by June to the Board of Regents. The regents have final authority over whether testing is required, but it is not clear whether they will hold a vote after receiving the recommendations.
Admissions Standards Affect Access
The review could shape how UC evaluates applicants across a large public university system, balancing evidence of academic preparation against concerns that test scores reflect unequal access to educational resources. A return to required scores would change the application process for prospective students; keeping the current policy would leave UC among the relatively few highly selective institutions that do not consider test results at all.
The question also reaches beyond admissions. Faculty who support tests say they can help identify students who may need academic support, while critics argue that using scores to screen applicants could disadvantage students from lower-income households. The eventual recommendation may influence which evidence UC considers meaningful, but the review itself does not establish that SAT or ACT scores would resolve concerns about preparation.
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How UC Ended Test Use
UC’s Board of Regents voted unanimously in 2020 to stop using SAT and ACT scores in admissions. The decision came during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid renewed scrutiny of racial inequities. Some regents described the exams as carrying a legacy of discrimination; the Academic Senate had supported keeping the SAT as one factor among many.
Since then, many selective colleges have resumed requiring tests or adopted test-optional policies, which allow applicants to submit scores without requiring them. UC’s policy is more restrictive: it is test-blind, meaning admissions officers do not consider scores even if applicants submit them. Research cited in the debate differs: some studies associate tests with college performance, while critics say scores can track family income and opportunity.
“Does not believe SAT/ACT will result in better prepared students.”
— UC Student Association
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No Policy Change Yet
Whether UC will reinstate testing remains unresolved. The committee’s review and the Academic Senate’s recommendations could inform the regents, but the source report says it is not clear whether the board will vote on a requirement. It also remains unsettled how much weight test scores would receive if UC changed course, or how the system would account for unequal access to test preparation and other educational resources.
The available GPA, graduation and retention figures do not by themselves settle the dispute. Faculty accounts of students’ math and writing skills are concerns raised by those professors, not a systemwide finding presented in the report. The relationship between the admissions policy and student readiness remains contested.
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Committee Report Sets Timeline
The academic committee is expected to deliver its detailed report by Feb. 12. The UC Academic Senate is then expected to send recommendations to the Board of Regents by June. The regents will decide whether any policy change is warranted and whether to consider a formal vote; no vote date or proposed testing rule has been announced.
Until those steps occur, UC’s current test-blind policy remains in place. The committee’s findings and the Senate’s recommendations will provide the next concrete indications of whether the system is considering a limited role for scores, a required test, or no change.
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Key Questions
Has UC decided to bring back the SAT?
No. UC has commissioned a review, but no decision to reinstate SAT or ACT requirements has been announced.
When are the recommendations expected?
The academic committee’s report is due Feb. 12. The UC Academic Senate is expected to make recommendations to the regents by June.
The UC Board of Regents has final authority over whether UC requires standardized tests. It is not yet clear whether the board will hold a vote after receiving recommendations.
What does UC’s test-blind policy mean?
Under UC’s current policy, admissions officers do not consider SAT or ACT scores, even when an applicant submits them. This differs from test-optional policies, where applicants may submit scores for consideration.
Why are some faculty asking UC to restore tests?
About 3,000 current and former professors say they see weaknesses in some students’ math and writing skills and argue that test scores could help assess academic preparation. The claim is contested, and UC has not concluded that testing would address those concerns.
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