SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 19 (Our California Times) — The University of California is again considering whether SAT or ACT scores should be part of undergraduate admissions. The system has not decided to bring tests back. Instead, UC is moving through its shared-governance process, where faculty review comes first and the UC Board of Regents would make the final call.
That matters for California students and families because any change would affect how applicants prepare for UC campuses statewide. It would also shape what high schools emphasize in math, writing and college prep.
What is UC deciding?
UC is reviewing whether to require the SAT, the ACT, Smarter Balanced, or some other test as part of admission. Two faculty-led work groups are handling the review. One is looking at testing. The other is reviewing high school course requirements for UC admission.
The Regents removed SAT and ACT requirements in a unanimous 2020 vote. UC later agreed in a legal settlement not to consider SAT or ACT scores through spring 2025.
Why is the debate happening now?
UC said the review was reopened after faculty concern about whether students were arriving with enough preparation in key subjects. More than 1,400 STEM faculty signed one open letter, and another set of open letters gathered more than 3,000 faculty signatures calling for UC to reconsider standardized testing.
Supporters of reinstating a test argue that grades and classes do not always show the full picture of readiness. Opponents say a new test requirement could raise barriers for students who already face unequal access to test prep.
The UC Student Association has said it opposes bringing standardized testing back, arguing that it would not improve student preparedness.
How does UC make this kind of change?
UC uses shared governance, which means faculty review the policy first. The Academic Senate, UC’s faculty body, is part of that process. The Regents then have to approve any final change.
Ahmet Palazoglu, chair of the UC Academic Senate, said in a UC Office of the President statement that “The Academic Senate is not rescinding its commitment to a comprehensive review of standardized testing in admissions.”
Regents Chair Maria Anguiano said the Academic Senate should deliver a recommendation no later than the end of the current academic year, about June 2027. UC has said that if testing returns, the earliest it could affect admissions would be the fall 2028 application cycle.
What would change for students?
Not much right away. UC has not approved a new testing rule, and there is no current requirement to submit SAT or ACT scores.
If a test requirement is restored, the change would most likely affect students planning for UC years in advance. Families would need to think about test dates, preparation time and whether the new rule would apply to all applicants or only some groups. UC has not said which standardized test, if any, it would ultimately choose.
For now, the main effect is uncertainty. High school students, counselors and teachers across California are watching to see whether UC decides that test scores should again be one factor in admissions, or whether the system will keep relying on grades, courses and other measures alone.
