UW Drops ACT, SAT Standardized Testing

SEATTLE, WA — The University of Washington says they're doing away with the ACT and SAT standardized testing requirements for incoming students.

The school announced the move Thursday, saying that their admissions officers had been studying the tests for several years and found that "standardized test scores have little correlation with success at the UW, particularly for Washington residents."

The school had already waived SAT and ACT testing requirements for the incoming freshmen of Fall 2020 because of the lack of testing sites amid the pandemic.

The university says, without the tests, they believe students will instead be free to focus on their high-school classes which are more important for success at the university level.

“Careful analysis and research showed that standardized testing did not add meaningfully to the prediction of student success that our holistic admission process already provides,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce.

The school goes on to say that standardized test scores like these can also help worsen inequality, often becoming obstacles for low-income students, students of color and women.

“The faculty, after careful and thoughtful consideration in partnership with our administration, have recognized that students’ potential achievement over four years or more of their university education can’t be measured by the result of one test on one day," said Joseph Janes, chair of the Faculty Senate.

After the announcement, the change went into effect immediately for UW's Seattle campus. The school says UW Tacoma and UW Bothell will have to individually review their test score policies.

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