SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 19 (Our California Times) — The University of California is again weighing whether SAT or ACT scores should be part of undergraduate admissions.
Nothing has changed yet for applicants. The review is still moving through UC’s shared-governance process, which means faculty review comes first and the UC Board of Regents would have to approve any final change. UC has said that if testing returns, the earliest it could affect students would be the fall 2028 application cycle.
Why UC is talking about testing again
UC Regents voted unanimously in 2020 to drop SAT and ACT requirements from admissions.
Since then, the system has been under pressure to take another look. More than 1,400 STEM faculty signed one open letter asking UC to reconsider standardized testing, and another set of open letters drew more than 3,000 faculty signatures.
Faculty-led review groups are now examining two related questions: whether UC should require SAT, ACT or California’s Smarter Balanced test, and whether UC should change its high school course requirements for admission. Smarter Balanced is California’s statewide K-12 test.
In a UC Office of the President statement, Academic Senate chair Ahmet Palazoglu said, “The Academic Senate is not rescinding its commitment to a comprehensive review of standardized testing in admissions.”
UC officials have said the debate is part of a broader review of how well applicants are prepared for college-level work, especially in math and writing.
Who decides?
UC admissions policy does not change with one vote from faculty alone. The Academic Senate makes recommendations, but the Board of Regents has the final say.
That process matters because it sets the timeline. Regents chair Maria Anguiano said at the July regents meeting, “We anticipate a recommendation from the Academic Senate no later than the end of this academic year.” UC officials have said that means around June 2027.
What happened after UC dropped the tests?
UC’s move away from SAT and ACT was not the end of the story.
The testing policy later became part of litigation, and a settlement limited UC from considering SAT or ACT scores in admissions through spring 2025. UC also never developed the separate UC-specific test that had once been discussed as a replacement.
That history is part of why the current review is drawing so much attention. The system is not starting from scratch, but it is also not simply restoring the old policy.
What would a return mean for students and families?
For California high school students applying to UC campuses, a testing requirement would add another step to the admissions process.
The exact effect would depend on what UC chooses. The sources in this review do not say whether the system would bring back the SAT, the ACT, Smarter Balanced, or some other test. They also do not say whether any new rule would apply to every applicant or only to certain groups, such as STEM majors or California residents.
That uncertainty is one reason counselors, students and families are watching the review closely. A test requirement could change how students plan their junior and senior years, when college applications and standardized test schedules often overlap.
Who is opposed?
Not everyone wants standardized testing to return.
The UC Student Association has publicly opposed restoring SAT and ACT scores in admissions, saying the change would not improve student preparedness.
There is also a larger question at the center of the debate: whether a test score should be only one part of an application, rather than a final measure of a student’s ability. That is the issue UC is now weighing as it considers whether to keep admissions test-free or bring scores back in some form.
For now, the key point is simple: UC has not made a final decision. The discussion is active, the timeline is moving, and California students who hope to apply to UC are the ones most likely to feel the outcome first.
