USC to waive ACT, SAT requirements for Class of 2025 applicants


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USC will not require prospective first-year students to submit ACT or SAT test scores during the upcoming application cycle, USC Admission announced Thursday. The decision follows that of other universities that have altered admissions requirements for the Class of 2025 due to disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic.

Applicants to the freshman class will be required to submit transcripts, essays and letters of recommendation as usual with their application and will be able to submit standardized test scores if they choose. School and major applications that include special materials, such as auditions or portfolios, will maintain those requirements.

“Applicants will not be penalized or put at a disadvantage if they choose not to submit SAT or ACT scores,” the Test Option FAQ page read. “USC’s student selection process has always been holistic, and we are confident in our ability to identify student potential using the totality of what’s presented to us.”

SAT and ACT testing has been suspended for the remainder of Spring 2020 and will not resume until fall. The College Board has added an additional SAT date in September, totaling four testing options before the end of the year. It is not yet clear if testing will be held in person or online. 

The decision to make test scores optional will not affect USC’s merit scholarship process, according to the FAQ page. Students who apply before the Dec. 1 deadline will be evaluated holistically.

“Our scholarships are awarded based on all-around excellence, and we have never awarded merit aid based on formulas or test score/GPA cut-offs,” the FAQ page read.

The announcement comes after similar decisions by other colleges, including Scripps College, Harvard College and schools in the University of California system, amid disruptions to standardized testing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most states have canceled mandatory districtwide testing, while the College Board has shortened and digitized the 2020 AP exams.