For the first time in 61 years, applicants to the University of California system will not have to submit standardized test scores that have previously been pillars of the college application process. As stay-at-home orders persist around the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UC schools announced that they are temporarily suspending SAT/ACT testing requirements. The class of 2021 will not be obligated to sit for the nearly four- hour test in a highly monitored, designated testing room.
“We want to help alleviate the tremendous disruption and anxiety that is already overwhelming prospective students due to COVID-19,” said John A. Pérez, chair of the Board of Regents, the governing board for UC. “By removing artificial barriers and decreasing stressors – including suspending the use of the SAT – for this unprecedented moment in time, we hope there will be less worry for our future students.”
