SAN DIEGO — There is some big news for college-bound students. The University of California system will no longer consider SAT or ACT scores for admission.
This change comes as part of a settlement brought on by a group of high school students and nonprofit groups who claimed the standardized tests put minority and low-income students at a disadvantage.
UC San Diego is one of 10 colleges in the UC system and several students felt this change was the right thing to do.
Junior Joyous Herron said, “I'm pretty happy to hear they're phasing those out.”
Senior Sharad Bhagwat said, “I think it's good. It will make things more equal for everyone. Getting rid of it I feel like the application will focus more on the person and what they've achieved in their own life.”
Under a settlement reached this past Friday, UC campuses can't consider scores for Fall 2022 through at least Spring 2025 for admissions or scholarship decisions.
Beyond that, the UC system hasn't announced what type of testing, if any, it will use.
"You're seeing issues with accessibility and equity come to the forefront," said Ryan Lufkin, with Canvas, an educational technology company.
Lufkin works alongside colleges and universities and said that one of the inequities he sees with incoming students is the fact they can't afford private tutors. Not only that, many struggle with the pressure of having to do well on one test.
"It's not really realistic of the skills you've learned or your passion for learning, especially at a relatively young age,” said Lufkin.
He said aside from the UC system, schools everywhere are choosing to drop standardized testing, and expects more will continue to do the same.
“I think for a lot of state institutions that are really moving towards trying to represent the demographic of their states, things like that, they'll move away from the testing so a lot remains to be seen,” said Lufkin.
His advice to college bound students-get good grades and focus on being well-rounded.
"Whether that means having a part-time job or participating in extracurricular activities, it's that well-rounded aspect that matters."
According to a UC spokesperson, students can still submit their SAT or ACT scores for a limited number of purposes including to fulfill an English language requirement, for course placement, or advising a student after they're accepted.
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