Updates for the Juniors Regarding the SAT, ACT, and College Admissions

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In the past five weeks, the world and life as we know it has changed drastically. With many events being canceled, worries come up for the class of 2021. This year is a very important year for the Junior Class of 2021, with most of them scheduled to take the two most important national standardized tests, the ACT and the SAT, and in the fall of 2020 apply to colleges across the state or even the nation.

So far this year there has been one ACT test day on February 8th, and there was supposed to be a test day on April 4th, but due to corona virus, that date has been canceled. Those who had registered for that test date have been notified via email of the cancellation, and were instructed to reschedule their test date to either June or the other future dates. For the juniors, the current possible test dates for the ACT this year are in June, July, September, October, and December.

As for the SAT, the March 14th, May 2nd, and June 6th test dates were cancelled because of the corona virus. For those that have registered for the June test date the College Board has stated they will have early access to registration for the August, September, and October test dates. There are no more official test dates until May when the College Board plans to announce test dates in August, September, October, November, and December. College Board further stated:

“In the unlikely event that schools don't reopen this fall, the College Board will provide a digital SAT for home use... we would ensure that at-home SAT testing is simple; secure and fair; accessible to all; and valid for use in college admissions.”

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Prospective Test Dates

*All the test dates for both the ACT and the SAT are subjected to cancellation to accommodate the current pandemic.

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More news for the class of 2021 is that as of April 1, 2020, the University of California (or UC) has announced that for students applying for admission for Fall 2021, the standardized test requirement, which includes both SAT and ACT, has been suspended. The UC has stated:

"Students applying for fall 2021 are not precluded from taking standardized tests (SAT or ACT) and sending scores if they are able. Doing so can support their statewide UC eligibility, application for certain scholarships, and help them fulfill some University graduation requirements. Campuses will adjust their internal processes accordingly to ensure that no student is harmed in admissions selection should they not submit a test score.”

The UC has also temporarily suspended the letter grade requirement of A-G courses for the coursework completed in the spring and summer of 2020 for the grades 9th through 12th. These suspensions are subject to change with the current corona virus pandemic.

As for the California State University (or CSU), they will consider a person’s course grades, either credit or pass, as fulfilling the A-G requirements for the courses during the 2020 winter, spring, and/or summer terms. The CSU had stated in regards to the ACT and SAT and the admissions process for those planning to attend for the fall 2021 term:

“Given the indefinite suspension of ACT/SAT examinations and the fact the state's Smarter Balanced test will not be administered this year to current high school juniors, the CSU is evaluating its admission process for entering first year students in 2021… A final decision on how CSU will adapt its admissions process for the fall 2021 term will be made soon. At that time, the CSU will immediately communicate its decision publicly.”

As soon as the CSU system updates on its plan for fall 2021 admissions, we will post about it as soon as we possibly can. Till then, stay safe, wash your hands, stay six feet away from people, and remember to do both your college and high school work.

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