Two U of I campuses change ACT, SAT requirements

Posted on June 11, 2020
Natalie Herring, associate provost for enrollment management at the University of Illinois Springfield, says – for fall 2021 freshmen only – the Springfield and Chicago campuses are suspending the ACT and SAT as admission requirements. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Two more of the state’s universities say you won’t need to take the SAT or ACT to apply.

This is just for a year, for the high schoolers whose junior year ended at home because of coronavirus. It applies to the University of Illinois campuses at Chicago and Springfield. Natalie Herring, associate provost for enrollment management at UIS explains how she will know whom to let in without those tests.

“The University of Illinois Springfield already has a holistic admissions review,” Herring said, “and so that means we look not only at test scores and GPA, but also types of high schools the students are coming from, the types of curriculum offered, and the types of curriculum they are taking. We’re looking at grade trends. We ask for writing samples.”

Herring said ACT and SAT provide a simple snapshot and not the “big picture” of a student’s readiness for college.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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