California State University announced Friday the suspension of ACT/SAT admission requirements for the 2021-2022 academic year, following in the footsteps of the University of California in easing admissions for graduating high school students during the coronavirus pandemic.

Freshmen entering a CSU in fall 2021, winter 2022 and spring 2022 will not have to take the exams, which students typically take during junior year of high school.

Freshmen must still have graduated from high school, completed their college preparatory courses, and have earned a 2.5 GPA. Students who earn between a 2.0 and 2.49 may be admitted based on other academic courses, extracurricular activities, household income, and additional information, the CSU said in a news release.

Non-California residents applying to any of the 23 CSU campuses must earn a 3.0 and pass other requirements, the university said.

Fresno State and other schools may still require higher GPA standards for first-year students because of the large number of applicants, but standardized testing will not be a factor, according to the news release.

“This temporary change will ensure equitable access to the university, and should provide some measure of relief to prospective students and their families,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White.

The shift comes as high school students face school closures due to COVID-19 that have made it challenging to meet university requirements, such as college entrance exams.

The College Board announced Wednesday that all SAT exams had been pushed to August, when it will be administered every weekend until the end of the year. If the pandemic closes campuses into the fall, the board will look into creating an online version of the test, as it has done with Advanced Placement exams.

The ACT exams are still scheduled to take place on June 13, and students will have an at-home option in the fall, according to the organization.

About 482,000 students make up the CSU system, with about 24,000 at Fresno State in fall 2019.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 2:06 PM.