UT to require SAT or ACT scores
First use of standardized tests since ’20
The University of Texas is bringing back standardized testing as part of its admission requirements starting with the 2025 fall semester, citing data that shows knowing students’ SAT or ACT scores helps the school enroll those with the greatest academic potential and learn how to best support students for success.
The university dropped the requirement in the 2020 spring because of limited testing availability due to COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. But now, university data shows that a student’s score on the SAT or ACT is “a proven differentiator” in gauging academic potential, particularly among students who have high grade-point averages and those enrolled automatically, President Jay Hartzell said in a news release.
“Our goals are to attract the best and brightest students and to make sure every student is successful once they are here. Standardized scores combined with high school GPA support this goal by improving early identification of students who demonstrated the greatest academic achievement, the most potential, and those who can most benefit from support through our student success programs,” Hartzell said.
UT’s admissions are dictated by state law: The top 6% of all Texas high school students are offered automatic entry to the university — making up 75% of the school’s incoming class. This year, which had a record applicant cycle, the remaining 25% of the school’s admitted students — students who were not automatically accepted and were chosen through a holistic review process — had an acceptance rate of 11%, Joey Williams, the director of marketing supporting undergraduate admissions recruitment, told the American-Statesman in February.
The university had 73,000 applicants for enrollment for the upcoming fall semester. Its data shows that 42% of them opted to share their standardized test scores, and 49% of those who were automatically enrolled did as well.
Opponents of test-mandatory policies say they make the admission process less equitable, as wealthier students can afford test preparation support,
compared with those who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or who have less available resources. Hartzell said this factored into the university’s decision making, but in working with the College Board, the nonprofit that offers the SAT, UT found that an estimated 90% of 2023 applicants had taken the SAT.
“It does not seem to be the case that the cost of the test or preparing for the test are deterring the vast majority of applicants from taking it,” Hartzell said in response to the Statesman’s question.
Hartzell added that in the university’s holistic review process, staff members are able to evaluate students’ scores in context. For instance, he said the university understands that not all 1300 scores on the SAT are really the same.
“One of our fears when we were a test-optional was that students might not be sending their score in because they’re worried in some ways how it will look among our other applicants,” he said. “This way, we’ll have better information about all of our applicants and do a better job, we think, of putting them in the right programs, and also in the right support.”
Moreover, the university said its data shows that students who submitted their test scores tended to score significantly higher on them and perform better in their first semester in college.
The median SAT score from the fall 2024 applicant pool was 1420. sSAT score range from 400 to 1600. Of the students who enrolled in 2023, the university said those who submitted their test scores were shown to have a higher GPA by about 0.86 points in their first semester in college.
UT also credits its knowledge of test scores for its ability to improve its four-year graduation rates after launching a student success initiative in 2012 that used standardized test scores to predict and provide targeted assistance for student outcomes. The university said bringing back the scores will help it identify who else will benefit from the student success program.
Though it will not change the automatic enrollment process, UT said the test scores will help it holistically review each candidate and better match applicants, including students who were automatically admitted, to their chosen majors.
Last week Brown University opted to bring back the testing mandate, joining Yale University and Dartmouth College, which announced their return to requiring the test scores in February.
UT is also introducing an early action program, in which students would need to apply for admission by Oct. 15 to learn whether they were accepted by Jan. 15. The application enrollment period for UT’s 2025 fall semester will open Aug. 1 and close Dec. 1. Students who apply by the Dec. 1 deadline will have a guaranteed answer by Feb. 15.
The school is also adding a waitlist for those who are not automatically given entry, encouraging letters of recommendation to come from outside of high school, reducing the number of short answer essays and making its required essay’s topic more flexible.
“Every year we evaluate our process and try to do whatever is possible to improve the application experience for students,” Miguel Wasielewski, vice provost for admissions, said of the changes. “It really is about creating a better experience for the students and hopefully getting students decisions that are well aligned with their application.”