UW Regents To Consider Dropping ACT Requirements For All Campuses But UW-Madison

ACT testing requirements will be temporarily suspended at all University of Wisconsin System campuses except UW-Madison under a proposed policy change aimed at easing college entrance requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meeting materials provided by UW System Administration cite challenges in accessing the ACT or SAT tests among prospective freshman students. In April the ACT canceled its national test date scheduled for April 4. The exam has been rescheduled for June 13 in response to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

If approved by the UW Board of Regents Thursday, the testing requirements will be nixed for the fall semester through the end of the 2021-2022 school year according to the System’s summary of the proposed change.

“By suspending these sections of the policy, freshman applicants will be able to move forward in the admissions process and not be penalized for their inability to take and submit test scores due to cancellations or significant delays in testing from the testing agencies themselves during the stated time period,” said the summary.

The UW System has also reduced application fees to all campuses except UW-Madison to bolster enrollment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A host of other state run colleges and Ivy League schools around the nation have already suspended ACT and SAT testing requirements.