Written by Amanda Angulo
Due to the pandemic year of 2020, students were unable to take tests such as the ACT and SAT because of the COVID-19 lockdown mandates, stay-at-home regulations, and indoor activities. After the University of California system went with that new rule of no longer accepting those tests for admissions, they have decided that they will no longer require any kind of admission test for undergraduate students.
While last year they decided to get rid of SAT and ACT test results, they were on the fence about deciding a different kind of test for admission. However, on Thursday the UC officials have confirmed that the system will be test-free for undergraduate students from now on.
The UC President, Michael Drake stated on Thursday at the UC Board of Regents meeting that “we don’t have an assessment now that we believe we can use effectively.”
The reason behind the ridding of the SAT and ACT and any other kind of test is because critics claim that the exams are racially biased, in regards to giving rich students an advantage in comparison to families who cannot afford a pricey test.
According to a statement released from President Drake’s office, the no testing requirement resulted in the UC having their most diverse class this fall. They also claim that the number of low-income students admitted jumped by 10% since 2020.
Now why wasn’t an alternative test looked at? The reason for this is simply because it would take too long. Even if they got the best people to work together on an admissions test for the same purpose as the SAT and ACT, it would at best be out by 2024, but realistically, it would take about nine years to get a really good test out.
Now, without an admissions test to be looked at, it gives admissions offices more work and the overload is challenging. Due to the UC system dropping their admission test, the system received over 200,000 applications, when in 2020 there were only 172,000. Now offices have to look at all grades, extra-curriculars, and the socio-economic factors that the students grow up in.
Photo Cred: Ashley Kenney/ Daily Bruin
