University of California agrees to nix SAT, ACT in admissions decisions in settlement with minority students

The University of California agreed to no longer consider SAT or ACT scores when making admissions and scholarship decisions under a settlement finalized Friday in a 2019 lawsuit filed on behalf of low income students of color and students with disabilities.

The lawsuit argued that low income students of color were at disadvantage because standardized test questions often contain inherent bias that more privileged children are better equipped to answer and wealthier students often take expensive prep course to boost scores that others cannot afford. It also argues the students with disabilities could not easier travel to exams and class sites.   The settlement, reached earlier this month, "ensures that the university will not revert to its planned use of the SAT and ACT — which its own regents have admitted are racist metrics," Amanda Savage, an attorney representing the students, said in a statement obtained by the Chronicle.