SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 19 (Our California Times) — California high school students who hope to apply to the University of California may be watching another admissions change take shape.
UC is reviewing whether SAT or ACT scores should once again be part of undergraduate admissions. If the system brings back a testing requirement, UC says the earliest it could take effect would be the fall 2028 application cycle.
That matters for students, families, counselors and teachers across California. A change at UC would affect how high schoolers plan their courses, test prep and college applications years before they apply.
Why is UC looking at tests again?
UC leaders opened the review after faculty members raised concerns about student readiness in math and writing. The system is now using its shared-governance process, which means faculty review comes first and the UC Board of Regents must approve any final policy change.
Two faculty-led work groups are part of the process. One is looking at whether UC should require the SAT, ACT or Smarter Balanced. The other is reviewing high school course requirements for UC admission.
UC Academic Senate Chair Ahmet Palazoglu said, “The Academic Senate is not rescinding its commitment to a comprehensive review of standardized testing in admissions.”
Who makes the decision?
The Regents have the final vote. Regents Chair Maria Anguiano said at the July meeting, “We anticipate a recommendation from the Academic Senate no later than the end of this academic year.”
That means the faculty recommendation is expected around June 2027. After that, Regents would still have to act before any admissions rule could change.
The timetable is faster than an earlier plan that pointed to a final faculty report in fall 2027.
What would change for students?
Nothing changes right away.
UC says the earliest any reinstated testing rule could affect applicants is fall 2028. Until then, students are still applying under the current test-free system.
UC has not said which test, if any, it would choose. The review could lead to the SAT, the ACT, Smarter Balanced, or a different option — or it could leave the current policy in place.
Why were SAT and ACT scores removed?
In 2020, the UC Board of Regents voted unanimously to drop SAT and ACT requirements.
That move came after years of debate over whether standardized tests gave an unfair advantage to students with more access to test prep. UC’s admissions policy was also challenged in court, and later summaries of the settlement say the university agreed not to consider SAT and ACT scores in admissions through spring 2025.
Who wants testing back — and who does not?
Faculty pressure has grown. One open letter drew more than 1,400 STEM faculty signatures. Another set of letters gathered more than 3,000 faculty signatures urging UC to reconsider standardized testing.
The UC Student Association has opposed bringing testing back. It says standardized tests would not improve student preparedness.
What should California families watch next?
The key step is the Academic Senate recommendation expected by the end of the current academic year. The Regents would then decide whether to accept any change.
For California families, the big question is not just whether SAT or ACT scores return. It is whether UC decides that any test should be part of admissions again, and if so, for which students and at what point in the application process.
