UW System Moves Toward Permanent Test-Optional Admissions

A significant change for Wisconsin applicants

The Universities of Wisconsin may permanently end the requirement that first-year applicants submit SAT or ACT scores. According to reporting from Wisconsin Public Radio published by Urban Milwaukee, the UW Board of Regents Education Committee has backed the change, though the full Board of Regents still needs to vote on it.

The UW System has waived the testing requirement since 2020. Before that waiver, applicants had been required to submit scores since 1989. The proposed policy would move the system from a temporary exception to a lasting test-optional admissions approach at all 13 UW campuses.

For families planning ahead, the most important point is that this is not yet a final policy. Students should continue checking the admissions requirements for each college on their list, especially as institutions across the country make different decisions about testing.

What the research found

The policy discussion is supported by research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Student Success Through Applied Research lab. The reporting says the lab compared student outcomes during periods when test scores were required and periods when they were not.

The research found that first-year grade point averages remained consistent, and later analysis found that academic performance remained steady or improved after 2020. The study also found no correlation between test scores and retention from the first year to the second year.

High school GPA was a stronger predictor of college completion than SAT or ACT scores. Course rigor, leadership, and extracurricular involvement also appeared to provide useful information about how students might perform in college.

That does not mean standardized tests are irrelevant for every student. Some students perform well on these exams and may choose to submit scores when a college accepts them. Others may have strong grades, challenging coursework, and meaningful activities but find that a single timed test does not reflect their preparation. A test-optional policy gives students more control over that decision.

What students should do now

Students should focus first on the parts of their application they can build over time: consistent academic performance, appropriately challenging courses, involvement outside the classroom, and a clear explanation of their interests and goals.

It is also important to understand what “test optional” means. A college may allow students to apply without scores, but applicants should still review how scores are used for scholarships, placement, or special programs. The article notes that Wisconsin’s Direct Admit Wisconsin and Wisconsin Guarantee programs do not include standardized test scores in their admission criteria.

Tutors and families can help by avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach. A student who has already prepared for the SAT or ACT and has a score that strengthens an application may choose to submit it. Another student may be better served by investing that time in coursework, an application essay, or other responsibilities.

A decision that increases student choice

The proposed change reflects a broader question in college admissions: Which information best helps colleges understand whether a student is prepared to succeed? The UW research described in the report suggests that grades, course selection, and sustained engagement may tell admissions offices more than a single exam score.

The change would also place the UW System alongside many other colleges that remain test optional or test blind, while some highly selective institutions have recently reinstated testing requirements. That makes careful college-by-college planning more important, not less.

For Wisconsin students, the likely benefit is flexibility. They can build an application around the evidence that best represents their preparation rather than assuming that one test must define their next step.