Hunter
01/06/22
The Iowa Board of Regents will be considering removing the requirement that prospective students submit standardized test scores as part of their applications to its three state-run universities.
The Press-Citizen reports that test-optional college admissions is trending across the nation, and went into effect on a temporary basis in Iowa during the pandemic. The regents waived testing requirements in 2020. About a third of applicants to state universities this fall had no SAT or ACT scores included.
Other colleges have already adopted the practice. The newspaper reports that the University of Wisconsin has a test-optional admissions policy for students applying through 2025, while the University of Illinois won’t require test scores through the 2023-24 academic year. The University of Nebraska went permanent with test-optional applications in August 2020.
If the regents approve the proposal at their meeting next week, it would need final approval from the Iowa Administrative Rules Review Committee. It already has the support of the Council of Provosts, who unanimously voiced their approval in November.