BYU has temporarily suspended the ACT/SAT test score requirement for admission and scholarships as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the school announced Thursday.
“Making this adjustment to our admissions and scholarship process makes sense given the difficulty many potential students have had in finding a convenient testing location,” BYU Academic Vice President Shane Reese said.
By waiving these standardized testing requirements temporarily, BYU joins a growing number of schools across the country who have done so in effort to accommodate for prospective students whose test preparations were compromised by the pandemic.
BYU’s test optional application will be available to most students applying for Spring and Summer 2021 terms, as well as Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 semesters. However, students who prefer to include their ACT/SAT test scores on their applications can still do so. Those test scores will be factored into an admission decision.
The press release clarified that BYU Admissions will continue to take into account additional factors during the application process, such as prospective students’ involvement and accomplishments in and out of the classroom during high school. However, students who have been limited in the activities they can pursue due to the pandemic will not be disadvantaged. Similarly, students who present pass/fail grades on their transcripts as a result of the pandemic will not be negatively affected.
The press release also noted that certain academic programs within the school may still require ACT/SAT test scores for admission.