SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 19 (Our California Times) — The University of California is once again considering whether SAT or ACT scores should be part of undergraduate admissions.
The debate matters because it could change what California high school students need to do to apply to UC campuses. It could also affect how teachers, counselors and families prepare students for the application process.
What UC is reconsidering
UC Regents voted unanimously in 2020 to remove SAT and ACT requirements from admissions. Since then, the system has mostly moved away from using those test scores in admissions decisions.
Now UC is reviewing whether testing should come back in some form. UC officials have said the review is being handled through the system’s shared-governance process, which means faculty review comes first and the Board of Regents would still need to approve any final change.
The current review has two faculty-led work groups. One is looking at whether UC should require the SAT, the ACT, the Smarter Balanced test, or some other testing option. The other is reviewing high school course requirements for UC admission.
Why the debate is happening now
Faculty pressure helped push the issue back onto the agenda. More than 1,400 STEM faculty signed one open letter calling for a renewed look at standardized testing, and another set of open letters gathered more than 3,000 faculty signatures.
Supporters of reconsidering the policy say test scores could give UC one more way to judge whether applicants are ready for college-level math and writing.
Opponents argue that restoring testing would add stress and would not solve broader problems in access or preparation. The UC Student Association has said it opposes bringing standardized testing back and does not believe it would improve student readiness.
How the review works
UC’s process is not a simple yes-or-no vote. Faculty groups study the issue first and make recommendations. Then UC leadership and the Board of Regents review the proposal before any policy can change.
UC Academic Senate chair Ahmet Palazoglu said in a UC Office of the President statement, “The Academic Senate is not rescinding its commitment to a comprehensive review of standardized testing in admissions.”
Regents chair Maria Anguiano said at a recent regents meeting, “We anticipate a recommendation from the Academic Senate no later than the end of this academic year.”
That target shortened the original timeline, which had pointed to a later report date. UC officials have said the final recommendation is now expected by around June 2027.
When a change could start
Even if faculty and regents agree to restore a testing requirement, it would not take effect right away.
UC has said the earliest possible start would be the fall 2028 application cycle. That means students applying before then would not be affected by a new requirement.
What this means for students and families
For California families, the main question is whether test scores would again become part of the UC admissions picture.
If that happens, students could need to decide whether to spend time and money on SAT or ACT prep again. Counselors and teachers would also need to adjust how they advise students, especially at high schools that have built admissions planning around UC’s test-free policy.
If UC chooses a different option, such as the Smarter Balanced exam, that could shift attention toward California’s own state testing system instead.
The legal history behind the policy
UC’s move away from standardized testing did not happen in isolation. The policy change became part of later litigation, and one summary of the case says UC later agreed not to consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions through spring 2025.
UC also had once discussed creating a new UC-specific test, but one report says that test was never developed.
For now, the key point is simple: UC has not made a final decision to bring SAT or ACT scores back. But the system’s leaders and faculty are actively reviewing the question, and any change would have to clear the rest of UC’s governance process before it could affect applicants.
