UIC to make ACT/SAT exams optional for 2021-22 school year due to COVID

The University of Illinois at Chicago will not require standardized tests for high school students who apply for admission to undergraduate programs for the fall of 2021.

The one-time move will allow incoming, potential students to forgo the requirement for SAT or ACT exams. Instead, acceptance will be based on information provided through other required documents, such as high school transcripts, GPA and essays.

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The move, which was approved by the Board of Trustees, aims to assist students due to the disruption to typical testing timelines, widespread cancellations and the continuing pandemic.

“We know it will be difficult for many of our potential applicants to have completed their exams by our application deadlines so we’re adjusting our review process to accommodate all students,” said Kevin Browne, vice provost for academic and enrollment services at UIC.

While the change means that next year’s entering class will not be required to supply standardized test results, students will still have the option to submit a test score if they have one. Otherwise, the application will be reviewed based on the information provided in other required documents.

Students will still have to meet requirements for the various colleges and fields of study they may want to undertake. To find out more, please visit UIC’s first-year requirements page.

The move applies to UIC, the University of Illinois campus in Springfield, or UIS, and the Unversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign after the Board of Trustees approved the resolution on June 10. Scores of other universities across the nation also have dropped the requirement for standardized test results for the fall of 2021 due to the pandemic.

According to the approved resolution, “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.”

In addition, due to the pandemic, UIC will continue to accept undergraduate first-year and transfer applications until July 15 for the fall 2020 semester.  UIC’s application process for the 2021-22 school year will open on Aug. 1 through the Common Application.