University of Texas will not be requiring SAT or ACT scores for fall 2023 applicants

The University of Texas will not be requiring high school students applying for fall 2023 undergraduate admission to submit their SAT or ACT scores.

UT is still encouraging students to submit their SAT and ACT scores, but the scores will not be required to be admitted into the university, according to a series of FAQs published Wednesday evening on the UT Office of Admissions’ website. 

“This decision was made after thorough discussions with university leadership and our stakeholders about how to best admit and place our students in light of the unique requirements around our admissions process,” said Miguel Wasielewski, UT’s assistant vice provost and director of admissions.

UT automatically admits students in the top 6% of their class, and under state law, 75% of first-year. in-state students at UT must be automatically admitted. However, all students are reviewed holistically to determine admission to specific colleges, schools and majors, including people who are automatically admitted.

UT previously had decided to not require prospective students to submit their ACT or SAT test scores for fall 2021 and fall 2022 admission because of the COVID-19 pandemic and limited student access to the exams, although students still had the option to submit their scores.

UT will be joining multiple other public and private universities in Texas in deciding to continue test-optional policies for fall 2023 or later, including Texas A&M University and Rice University. 

Under the first year of test-optional policies, multiple Texas universities saw increases in applications, including UT, which saw applications for undergraduate admission rise 15.4% from fall 2020 to fall 2021 to a record of 66,077.

If students submit SAT or ACT scores to UT, the scores will be considered among the other parts of the application in the admissions process. The exam scores also will be one of many elements assessed to determine admission to honors programs, while scholarships will not be affected by the submission or lack of submission of the exam scores.

For students who do not submit standardized scores, Wasielewski said UT will rely on other materials submitted in the application, and the admissions review will place additional emphasis on other metrics.

“Students should provide information in their application that demonstrates their academic potential,” UT wrote on its website. “This can be accomplished in a number of ways, such as through their essay prompt, high school transcripts, or items like letters of recommendations or standardized ACT or SAT scores.”

Wasielewski said UT plans to continue to evaluate data related to test-optional admission for future application cycles.