Oregon’s seven public universities and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) announced Wednesday that they won’t require freshman applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores to be considered for admission, starting with the fall term of 2021.
The change will be applicable to students seeking admission to Eastern Oregon University, Portland State University, Oregon State University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Southern Oregon University, the University of Oregon and Western Oregon University, and applicants applying to undergraduate nursing programs offered by OHSU.
Students applying to these universities will have the option — rather than the requirement — of submitting standardized test scores with their application for admission.
“Standardized tests add very little to our ability to predict an individual student’s success at a university or college,” said Jon Boeckenstedt, vice provost for enrollment management at Oregon State University. He noted that evidence also exists that standardized test results might not be inclusive.
The universities’ statement said that across the country, more than 1,000 four-year universities and colleges, including almost 400 top-tier four-year universities and colleges, have either abandoned standardized testing altogether or provided students the option to take such tests.