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University of California Suspends BOARS Review as Regents Order Faster SAT/ACT Study

Regents have told the Academic Senate to produce a recommendation by June 2027, a move that tightens the timetable and creates uncertainty about which application cycles might require test scores.

People walk through Sather Gate at UC Berkeley in June 2025. University of California officials said Tuesday that regents will not consider whether to restore SAT and ACT requirements in admissions for about a year.
Pedestrians walk through Sather Gate at UC Berkeley last year. The University of California is under pressure to restore the SAT and ACT to its admissions process.
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A student takes a practice SAT. The University of California is considering whether to restore the SAT and ACT to its admissions process after dropping the tests during the pandemic.

Overview

  • The UC system’s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools voted to suspend the work plan to study reinstating the SAT or ACT and removed explanatory links from the UC website, a decision first reported last Friday.
  • Regents chair Maria Anguiano set a new deadline requiring the Academic Senate to deliver a recommendation on restoring standardized testing by June 2027 while noting the board itself must vote to change policy.
  • Thousands of UC faculty have urged a return to tests, arguing incoming students show weak math and writing skills, while student groups and equity advocates say reinstating tests would reduce access for low-income and underrepresented applicants.
  • The compressed timeline raises practical problems because a Regents vote would be needed to require scores and many SAT/ACT test dates fall before the 2027 application window, leaving it unclear whether fall 2028 or 2029 applicants would be affected.
  • The abrupt BOARS suspension was not publicly explained, fueling procedural conflict between BOARS, the Academic Senate and the Regents and prompting broad public comment from professors, students and access organizations.