CSU, Sacramento State will not require SAT or ACT for fall applications
California State University will temporarily suspend requiring the SAT and ACT exams to apply for admissions at its 23 campuses.
The decision came after the College Board canceled SAT exam dates in the spring as stay-at-home orders were enforced throughout the country and world.
The change in admissions requirements only applies to fall 2021, winter 2022 and spring 2022 admission cycles.
“The California State University has provided access to a high-quality education for millions of Californians from all walks of life, and we will continue to fulfill our academic mission even during these most trying of times,” CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said in a statement. “This temporary change will ensure equitable access to the university, and should provide some measure of relief to prospective students and their families.”
Each CSU campus, including Sacramento State, will use several factors to evaluate admissions including GPA and extracurricular activities.
Programs with more applicants than available spaces such as psychology, criminal justice and biological sciences may require higher GPAs for admissions.
The College Board, which administers the SAT, announced on Wednesday that students will have many more opportunities to take the exam in the fall, before college applications are due. They also floated the idea that the exam can be administered online, at home.
“As with at-home AP Exams, the College Board would ensure that at-home SAT testing is simple; secure and fair; accessible to all; and valid for use in college admissions,” read a press release from College Board. “Like the pencil-and-paper test, a digital, remote version of the SAT would measure what students are learning in school and what they need to know to be successful in college.”
Local universities are beginning to make further changes and modifications due to the pandemic.
California State University Sacramento will hold a virtual commencement celebration June 6, and plans to let the class of 2020 walk during the May 2021 in-person ceremony along with the class of 2021. The University of California, Davis made a similar announcement.
UC Davis and Sacramento State both announced that summer sessions will be taught remotely. UC Davis Chancellor Gary May added that if the health directives change, some in-person labs may become available.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 11:35 AM with the headline "CSU, Sacramento State will not require SAT or ACT for fall applications."