The University of California is not backing away from a broader review of standardized testing in undergraduate admissions, despite recent media reports suggesting otherwise, according to top UC officials.
The confusion comes at a time when a growing chorus of faculty members and media commentators are pushing the UC system to bring back the SAT as part of its admissions process. The Board of Regents eliminated the testing requirement in 2020, overruling a recommendation from the UC Academic Senate that the university continue relying on the SAT and ACT. That vote was unanimous.
The latest wrinkle emerged last month, when the Academic Senate announced it would launch a review of standardized admissions tests along with the high school coursework students must complete to meet minimum UC eligibility requirements. Then, on Monday afternoon, several news outlets reported that a Senate committee overseeing admissions had decided to scrap that review altogether.
But two senior UC officials say a fresh look at the role of standardized testing in admissions remains very much on the table. One of them is Ahmet Palazoglu, chair of the Academic Senate.
“The Academic Senate is not walking back its commitment to conducting a comprehensive review of standardized testing in the admissions process,” Palazoglu wrote in a statement posted Monday night on the UC Office of the President’s website. He said the Senate is simply adjusting its original timeline for completing the broader admissions review.
At a Board of Regents meeting Tuesday, the board’s new chair, Maria Anguiano, said the Academic Senate will wrap up its review “no later than the end of this academic year” — meaning around June 2027.
That actually moves the timeline up. A Senate document released last month had indicated the panel’s final report and recommendation to the board would come sometime in fall 2027.
Palazoglu clarified in an email Tuesday that the June deadline applies specifically to the standardized testing question. The Academic Senate is scheduled to meet July 22 to determine a separate approach for reviewing the high school coursework requirements students must satisfy to be eligible for UC admission.
While the Academic Senate wields considerable influence within the UC system, it cannot unilaterally reinstate the SAT for undergraduate admissions. Only the Board of Regents has that authority. Under standard procedure, the board must first hear at least one informational item on the topic before voting on any policy change at a later meeting.
Students push back against SAT’s return
The University of California Student Association sent a letter to the Board of Regents this week opposing any reinstatement of the SAT. The association, which represents roughly 237,000 UC undergraduates, said it does not believe bringing back the SAT or ACT would lead to better-prepared students. The letter pointed out that racial and ethnic diversity across the UC system has grown since 2020, even as graduation rates have held steady or improved.
“The purpose of public education is to ensure that all students can access their right to a strong, quality learning experience, and UC should not be limiting the number of students who can enter its classrooms,” the students wrote.
Back in 2020, students were among those urging the Board of Regents to drop standardized testing from admissions. The board reaffirmed its ban on admissions testing in 2021.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Anguiano signaled some unease with how much attention the testing debate has commanded. “In my view, recent public conversations have focused too heavily on admissions and standardized testing,” she said.
Why some faculty want the SAT back
More than 2,000 UC faculty members in science, technology, engineering and math fields have signed a petition calling on the university to reinstate the SAT or ACT as an admissions requirement for STEM majors starting in fall 2027. Nearly 1,000 additional faculty members from other disciplines signed a separate letter calling for the full restoration of standardized testing across all admissions.
The STEM faculty petition argues that high school grades alone are not a reliable measure of college readiness, pointing to rising grade inflation and growing numbers of students relying on artificial intelligence to complete coursework. As a result, some students arrive at UC unprepared for the rigor of its academic programs, the petition contends.
Mina Aganagic, a physics and mathematics professor at UC Berkeley, spoke in favor of bringing back the SAT during Tuesday’s meeting. “Without the SAT, our introductory courses are forced to re-teach material from elementary and middle school. That wastes opportunity and misallocates resources instead of expanding access to higher education,” she said.
But the head of an influential nonprofit that advocates for greater access to the UC system said focusing on the SAT is the wrong approach.
“This is absolutely the wrong solution for an undefined problem,” said Jessie Ryan, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity. “Based on the UC Office of the President’s own research, we know that since the testing requirement was dropped, our retention rates have remained stable and graduation rates have actually gone up.”
She added: “If we truly want to address college readiness, the answer isn’t to become more selective — it’s to provide more support to students throughout the state. We need to work with our K-12 partners to improve preparation, rather than shutting the door on thousands of students.”
Critics of the SAT have long argued the test disadvantages low-income students, who are less likely to afford test-prep services that can boost scores.
Standardized tests were historically just one piece of the puzzle UC campuses used to evaluate applicants. Other factors considered include the rigor of a student’s course load, how that course load compares with peers at the same high school, special talents or achievements, and the location of the applicant’s school.
Original source: CalMatters
