We’re calling on colleges and universities to take immediate action to build a more equitable admissions process in light of COVID-19 by eliminating standardized testing requirements and adopting test-optional policies for all applicants to their institution during the 2020-2021 admissions cycle.

Recently, the College Board and ACT have canceled or delayed administrations of the SAT for the next few months. Because the SAT and ACT are required components of the majority of college applications, widespread cancellations will negatively impact current high school juniors as they apply to college in the coming year.

Particularly, cancellations and delays will have a disproportionate impact on low-income, minority and other underrepresented student groups’ abilities to equitable access to the admissions process. Already, evidence shows that race and income impact performance on standardized tests, and COVID-19 will only exacerbate these inequities.

We call on all colleges and universities to:

• Eliminate standardized testing requirements and adopt test-optional application policies for all applicants to their institution during the 2020-2021 admissions cycle.
• Announce their intention to discontinue standardized testing requirements for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle as soon as possible to mitigate future applicants’ concerns about meeting testing requirements.
• Reflect on the value of standardized assessments in the college admissions process and the implications testing requirements have on equitable access to the college application process.

We invite students, parents and those committed to equity in education to stand in solidarity with the #TestOptionalNow campaign by signing this petition to show their support and sharing their stories on social media. For press inquiries and more information about the #TestOptionalNOW campaign, visit the Student Voice website.