UC schools have gone test blind, or will not consider ACT or SAT scores, for college admissions. The decision came about after a judge sided with attorneys representing disabled students. The plaintiffs argued that the SAT and ACT cancellations caused by the pandemic disproportionately affected disabled students.

A lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court in which the plaintiffs argued that during the coronavirus pandemic, students with disabilities were unable to access suitable testing sites. The judge agreed and ruled that all University of California schools must suspend usage of SAT and ACT scores. This overturned the UC System’s decision to make the tests optional until 2024. The University of California system, however, disagrees with the court’s decision.

How the SAT and ACT will be incorporated into the UC admissions process is still uncertain, for the University of California system stated that they are considering “further legal action” to maintain their original decision.

Many students who plan on, or are considering, attending UC schools now face the decision of whether or not to take the SAT or ACT. Some students, such as junior Ryan Lopez have decided that taking the SAT or ACT would be impractical.

“[It is not] very motivating if I have to spend time studying for something that will be overlooked,” Lopez said.

Senior Chris Ahn stated that the ruling limited the options that students will have when demonstrating their academic ability to schools. 

“[The decision] hinders one’s chances of being able to display their academic achievements to college,” Ahn said.

Other students such as junior Cyrus Myrsafian stated the decision will not affect whether he would take the test or not. 

“I will be taking the ACT because other schools still require it and I may not even attend a UC, ” Myrsafian said.

Students have concerns for the future of these standardized tests and how this change will affect the college admissions process.

Junior Ryan Bienstock stated, “It has taken some of the pressure off the test, but also raises uncertainty of what factors the schools will base their [admissions] decisions on.”