California State University’s board of trustees voted unanimously on Wednesday to drop standardized testing as an admissions requirement, similar to the University of California.
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The 23-campus system, which is the nation’s largest four-year college system, had suspended testing use for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years due to the pandemic. UC had dropped testing in 2020, and the board decided to do the same, following a recommendation from its Admissions Advisory Board.
“This decision aligns with California State University’s ongoing efforts to level the playing field and provide greater access to a high-quality college degree for students of all backgrounds,” Acting Chancellor Steve Relyea said in a statement. communicated. “Essentially, we are eliminating our reliance on the high-stress, high-stakes test that has shown negligible benefit and providing our candidates with greater opportunities to demonstrate their drive, talents, and potential for academic success.”
Students can still take the SAT or ACT tests, and the scores can be used to place them in math and English courses at the appropriate level. But CSU’s admissions standards moving forward “will use multifactor admissions criteria to determine student eligibility instead of standardized test scores.”
