SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 19 (Our California Times) — The University of California is once again weighing whether SAT and ACT scores should count in undergraduate admissions. The discussion matters because UC campuses are the state’s top public universities, and any change would affect how California high school students prepare, apply, and compete for admission.
The system has not decided to bring the tests back. Instead, UC is moving through its shared-governance process, which means faculty review comes first and the UC Board of Regents would have the final say.
Why is the SAT and ACT debate back?
UC leaders reopened the question after faculty raised concerns about whether students are arriving with enough math and writing preparation, according to UC officials and faculty communications cited in the current review.
The issue resurfaced at recent Regents meetings, where Regents chair Maria Anguiano said the Academic Senate should deliver a recommendation by the end of the current academic year, which would be around June 2027.
That is a faster timeline than the one UC had first outlined. The Academic Senate originally expected a final report in fall 2027, but UC officials later moved the process up.
How does UC make this kind of decision?
UC uses a shared-governance system. That means faculty and administrators review policy questions first, then the Regents make the final decision.
For the admissions testing review, two faculty-led work groups are involved:
- one looking at whether UC should require the SAT, ACT, Smarter Balanced, or another test;
- another looking at high school course requirements for UC admission.
UC Academic Senate chair Ahmet Palazoglu said the Senate is continuing its review of standardized testing in admissions.
Even if faculty recommend a change, UC has said any reinstated testing requirement would not take effect right away. The earliest possible start would be the fall 2028 application cycle.
What changed in 2020?
In 2020, the UC Board of Regents voted unanimously to eliminate SAT and ACT requirements for undergraduate admissions.
At the time, UC framed the move as part of a broader effort to rethink how it evaluates applicants. The decision ended the systemwide requirement that students submit those scores with their applications.
Later litigation further limited how UC could use the tests. According to summaries of the settlement and court-ordered policy described in later coverage, UC agreed not to consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions through spring 2025.
What is driving the current push to restore testing?
Supporters of reinstating a test say standardized scores could give UC another way to compare students from different schools and grading systems. Faculty letters cited in the current debate have argued that some applicants may not be getting enough preparation in math and writing.
One letter reportedly drew more than 1,400 STEM faculty signatures. Another set of faculty letters gathered more than 3,000 signatures urging UC to reconsider standardized testing.
Former UC president Janet Napolitano, who oversaw the earlier phase-out, has said a test score should not be the sole factor in UC admissions. But she also said a renewed review could conclude a score should be one factor among others.
Who opposes bringing the tests back?
The UC Student Association has publicly opposed restoring standardized testing. In its letter, the group said bringing the exams back would not improve student preparedness.
Critics of the change also argue that a return to SAT or ACT use could increase pressure on students, especially those from schools with fewer test-prep resources.
What about the old plan for a UC-specific test?
When UC first moved away from the SAT and ACT, the system also discussed creating its own admissions test.
One report says that test was never developed.
That left UC with the current review: whether to use the SAT, the ACT, Smarter Balanced, or some other measure, or to keep admissions test-free.
What happens next?
For now, the review continues.
The Academic Senate is expected to make a recommendation, and the Regents would then decide whether to accept it. Even if UC ultimately restores a testing requirement, the system says the change would not show up in admissions until at least the fall 2028 cycle.
For California families, that means the policy question is still open, but the next few years could determine whether standardized tests once again become part of the UC admissions process.
