Dozens of colleges are dropping SAT and ACT requirements for 2021 applicants

• At least 51 universities have dropped an SAT or ACT requirement from their 2021 applications, according to a list from the National Center for Fair and Open Testing seen by CNN.
• The move came after the ACT and SAT announced in March that their standardized tests would be postponed to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
• In a press release sent to Insider, the College Board said it has plans to increase testing administrations in the fall if it can, and is also considering at-home digital testing.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Dozens of colleges across the United States have dropped an SAT or ACT requirement from their applications for students hoping to enroll in 2021.

At least 51 universities — including Boston University and University of California schools — have dropped the requirement in recent weeks, according to a list from FairTest: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, seen by CNN.

The ACT entrance exam and The College Board, which runs the SAT, announced in March that their standardized tests would be postponed until at least June to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

A spokesperson from Common App, which represents more than 900 colleges and universities, told Insider at the time that the organization had urged clients to be lenient during the pandemic.

"We have encouraged flexibility and have asked our members in recent communications to support those who may be impacted by this," the spokesperson said.

Bob Schaeffer, interim executive director of FairTest, told CNN that making testing optional on applications is a "win-win" for everyone involved in the application process.

The decision to make SAT and ACT exams optional, Shaeffer said, could point to a future without testing requirements.

"This could well be the tipping point," Schaeffer told CNN, adding that such processes allow for a more diverse applicant pool. "Removal of the test was already rapidly increasing... From our experience, we've seen that when schools do these pilot programs, they never go back."

Ed Colby, a spokesman for ACT, told CNN that its test is "highly predictive of success in college," and that the organization's exam is still being used on scholarship evaluations and many university applications.

In a press release sent to Insider, the College Board said it has plans for monthly SAT test administrations through the fall if public health allows it, and is considering at-home digital testing if needed.

"We know students and educators are worried about how the coronavirus may disrupt the college admissions process, and we want to do all we can to help alleviate that anxiety during this very demanding time," said College Board CEO David Coleman. "Our first principle with the SAT and all our work must be to keep families and students safe. The second principle is to make the SAT as widely available as possible for students who wish to test, regardless of the economic or public health circumstances."

Read the original article on Insider