Standardized tests no longer required for Illinois public college admissions

Illinois public colleges and universities have dropped the requirements for SAT and ACT college board tests.

The Higher Education Fair Admissions Act passed the Illinois Legislature last year and took effect Jan. 1. The law makes it easier and cheaper for Illinois students to apply to college. State Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, sponsored the bill, saying that a high school record is a better predictor of success in college than a one-time test.

Bob Schaeffer, executive director of FairTest.org, says the change in policy by Illinois public colleges levels the playing field for students who can’t afford the testing fees and who can't spend the money to take pricey test prep classes.

“Everyone knew that well-to-do kids had a leg up in the college admissions process,” Schaeffer told The Center Square. The Varsity Blues college admissions scandal demonstrated how the testing process could be exploited, Schaeffer said.

In 2019, more than 30 wealthy parents and celebrities were caught bribing test monitors to change test scores. Some even hired imposters to take the tests for their children.

Schaeffer said the SAT and ACT testing fees are a barrier for low-income families when it comes time to submit applications.

“It’s a very expensive proposition for low-income families,” Schaeffer said. “It adds up to hundreds of dollars for most students.”

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the University of Illinois and most U.S. colleges to suspend the requirement for testing in 2020 and 2021.

“The University of Illinois found that they were getting as good or better applicants in a test optional environment. And they were getting more diverse applicants,” Schaeffer said.

Lake Forest College and the University of Chicago have both been test optional for a number of years now, Schaeffer said. Those schools are among the 1,816 colleges and universities in the United States (out of a total of 2,330) that no longer require the tests, he said. Eighty percent of U.S. colleges and universities are now test optional.

Northern Illinois University has gone even farther than its counterparts, moving from “test optional” to “test blind,” Schaeffer said.

“That means that even if students submit scores, they will not be considered in the admissions or the financial aid process,” he said.

State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, who led the Illinois House effort to make Illinois public colleges and universities test optional, has said that she believes the move will encourage more underrepresented minority students to apply to college.

On average, Schaeffer said, that has been the case. However, the University of Chicago has found that lifting the test requirement alone is not a 100% guarantee that a school will attract more minority applicants.

“The University of Chicago has demonstrated that it is far better to go test-optional and also increase recruitment efforts and increase financial aid for historically underrepresented groups,” Schaeffer said.