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The University of California is reviewing whether to change its policy of not considering SAT or ACT scores in freshman admissions. A faculty committee is due to report by Feb. 12, followed by Academic Senate recommendations by June; the Board of Regents has final authority, and no return to testing has been decided.
The University of California is reviewing whether to change its test-blind admissions policy, under which SAT and ACT scores are not considered, after thousands of current and former professors urged the system to bring standardized testing back. No policy change has been announced: an academic committee is due to report by Feb. 12, and the UC Academic Senate plans to make recommendations by June before the Board of Regents decides whether to act.
About 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 some students arrive with weak math and writing skills and that admissions should do more to identify applicants who may struggle with college-level work. The signatories are a small share of the system’s roughly 26,000 faculty members; their views do not establish a systemwide faculty consensus.
The debate is unfolding alongside student-outcome data that do not show the broad deterioration predicted by critics of the 2020 policy change. The source report says graduation rates have edged up, more students have returned for their second year, and average freshman GPAs have increased since 2021, the first year of incoming students admitted under the test-blind policy. These measures do not, by themselves, settle whether the policy affects readiness or the experience of particular students.
The UC Board of Regents has final authority over whether to require an admissions test. The academic committee’s report is due Feb. 12; the Academic Senate is expected to propose recommendations by June. It remains uncertain whether the Regents will then hold a vote, or what any proposed policy would require.
The Stakes for UC Admissions
A change would affect how applicants to one of the country’s largest public university systems are evaluated. Restoring tests could give admissions staff another measure of academic preparation, as supporters contend, but it could also revive concerns about unequal access to testing and score differences tied to family income. The issue is not only whether a test predicts college performance, but how UC should weigh that information alongside grades, coursework and applicants’ circumstances.
The choice also matters to current students and faculty. Professors calling for a change say some students need stronger preparation in math and writing; student representatives dispute that standardized tests would solve the problem. The system’s review could shape admissions policy, but it does not itself establish that SAT or ACT scores would improve readiness or outcomes.
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How UC Became Test-Blind
UC ended its use of SAT and ACT scores in admissions in 2020, when the Regents voted unanimously to stop considering them. The decision came amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a wider debate over racial inequities in education. Critics argued that test scores could reflect family wealth and unequal opportunity as well as academic skills. The Academic Senate had supported keeping the SAT, but the Regents chose to end its use.
Before the policy change, UC used test scores as one factor among many rather than setting a single required cutoff. At a September Regents meeting, UCLA associate vice chancellor of enrollment management Gary Clark said that in 2019, half of UCLA’s admitted students had SAT scores between 1,280 and 1,530 out of 1,600. UC’s current test-blind approach is distinct from test-optional policies, which let applicants submit scores even when they are not required.
Nationally, many highly selective colleges have resumed requiring or accepting standardized tests after pandemic-era changes, according to the source report. Research on the tests’ value is contested: some studies cited by supporters find scores predict college performance better than high school grades, while critics argue grades capture sustained progress and test results are associated with family income.
“does not believe SAT/ACT will result in better prepared students.”
— UC Student Association
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Questions Before a Policy Decision
No decision to reinstate testing has been made. The committee’s report and the Academic Senate’s recommendations may inform the Regents, but the source report says it is not clear whether the board will schedule a vote. The details of any possible change—including whether tests would be required, optional or used in another way—are also unknown.
The evidence remains contested. The reported improvements in retention, graduation and freshman GPA do not establish why those measures changed, or whether some students are nonetheless underprepared. Faculty members’ accounts are concerns raised by the campaign, not a systemwide assessment of student readiness. The competing claims about what test scores predict, and how they relate to income and race, remain part of the review.
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Report, Recommendations, Regents
The academic committee is expected to deliver its detailed report on UC’s use of standardized tests by Feb. 12. The UC Academic Senate is then expected to propose recommendations by June. After that, the Board of Regents can decide whether to consider a change, though the timing and form of any board action have not been announced.
Until the Regents take action, UC’s test-blind policy remains in place. The next milestones should clarify how the faculty review weighs academic preparation, admissions fairness and the evidence on test performance; they will not, on their own, confirm that the SAT is returning.
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Key Questions
Has the University of California decided to bring back the SAT?
No. UC is reviewing its policy, but no change has been announced. The Board of Regents has final authority.
What does UC’s test-blind policy mean?
UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions. That differs from a test-optional policy, under which applicants may submit scores even when they are not required.
When are the next steps expected?
An academic committee’s report is due by Feb. 12. The UC Academic Senate is expected to make recommendations by June; any later Regents vote remains uncertain.
Why do some professors want testing restored?
About 3,000 current and former professors say some students have weak math and writing skills and argue tests could help identify academic preparation. Their campaign represents a fraction of UC’s roughly 26,000 faculty members.
What is the argument against bringing tests back?
Critics say SAT and ACT scores can reflect family income and unequal access to preparation, and that high school grades may better show sustained academic progress. The UC Student Association also opposes a return, saying tests would not produce better-prepared students.
Source: rss
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