AUSTIN, Texas — Starting this fall, students applying to the University of Texas at Austin will need to include their standardized testing scores.
The change comes four years after UT removed standardized test scores as a requirement for admissions in the spring of 2020 due to limited testing options during the COVID-19 pandemic. The renewed requirement will be enforced for prospective students applying for the fall 2025 semester, who will submit their applications between Aug. 1 and Dec. 1, 2024.
"Our experience during the test-optional period reinforced that standardized testing is a valuable tool for deciding who is admitted and making sure those students are placed in majors that are the best fit," UT President Jay Hartzell said. "Also, with an abundance of high school GPAs surrounding 4.0, especially among our auto-admits, an SAT or ACT score is a proven differentiator that is in each student’s and the University’s best interest."
Why is UT returning to its scores requirement?
UT said last year, it experienced an all-time high number of applicants and it's estimated that about 90% or more of those applicants took a standardized exam like the SAT or ACT. UT said analysis of its own data showed that on average, students who submitted their standardized scores performed significantly better on those exams and in their first semester of college, compared to those who did not take the tests or chose not to have their scores considered as part of a holistic review.
UT said it has also demonstrated that knowledge of standardized test scores contributes to higher graduation rates. The university said the ability to predict students' success using those scores and other factors led to a student success initiative in 2012. UT said in part due to that initiative's efforts, during the following decade, the university's four-year graduation rate climbed to a record 74.5% in fall 2023.
As of the summer/fall 2024 and spring 2024 application periods, Texas high school students that graduate in the top 6% of their class are automatically granted admission to UT. The standardized test score requirement won't change that, but UT said the scores will be used as part of the holistic review to "match applicants to their choice of majors and to indicate who might benefit most from the University’s student success programs."
What other changes are coming to UT's application process?
To strengthen holistic review, UT is also making other changes to its application process, including more options for the required essay, fewer short-answer responses and a narrowed scope for letters of recommendation.
The university is also introducing a new Early Action program – an optional deadline that will require applications to be submitted by Oct. 15, with a guaranteed decision communicated with applicants by Jan. 15. The regular application deadline will still be Dec. 1, with a guaranteed decision communicated by Feb. 15.
UT will also be introducing a waitlist. The university said most students will be notified as early as March 1 if they were added to that list.