UPDATED: UI trustees approve dropping ACT, SAT requirement for fall 2021 | News

URBANA — With COVID-19 making it harder to take standardized tests, the University of Illinois may drop its admissions requirement of an ACT or SAT score for the fall of 2021.

The board of trustees' executive committee approved the one-time waiver, which had already received approval from the Springfield and Chicago campuses. The Urbana campus’ academic Senate Executive Committee is also discussing the issue today.

“The current nationwide COVID-19 pandemic has prevented large numbers of high school students from taking standardized tests due to various restrictions imposed by states that not only have closed high schools but also, among other things, have prohibited gatherings of a certain size,” a memo to the board states.

“Although there has been consideration of providing ‘in-home’ exams this summer, those plans are currently on hold, in part because many students do not have the necessary computer technology or reliable internet connection to take advantage of this option.“

The administration also cited several other universities that have made the standardized tests optional for the fall of 2021, including Harvard, Penn and Cornell.

With the trustees' approval, the board gave President Tim Killeen the ability to execute the waiver at the Urbana campus in consultation with Chancellor Robert Jones.

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