ACT and SAT scores no longer considered for admission or merit-based scholarships at KU
Students applying to the University of Kansas will no longer need standardized test scores for admission or merit-based scholarships.
In a post to Twitter Thursday, the KU admissions office announced that automatic scholarships would be based solely on student grade point average.
The change follows a Kansas Board of Regents vote in March that allowed KU to remove some standardized testing requirements from admissions decisions.
KU’s announcement follows decisions by schools nationwide, including the 23-campus California State University, to drop standardized testing as an admission requirement.
In January UMKC announced it would stop requiring ACT and SAT scores for admission.
At KU, students will now be able to gain admission with a minimum 3.25 GPA in high school or a 2.0 GPA combined with an ACT score of at least 21.
The university’s five merit-based scholarships, ranging from $8,000 to $16,000 per-year for out-of-state students and $1,000 to $5,000 per-year for in-state students, will be based entirely on high school GPA.
In previous years, merit-based scholarships required GPAs and standardized test scores.
The changes are effective for students applying to start at KU in Fall 2022.
A spokesperson for KU did not immediately respond to The Star’s request for comment.
In a request to alter admission guidelines in March, KU officials pointed to national trends as well as the closing of ACT and SAT test sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For years, some advocates have pushed for an end to standardized testing, arguing it disadvantages minority and low-income applicants.
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 5:38 PM.
