SAT, ACT Scores Still Required for Some Scholarships in Georgia

SAT and ACT scores are optional next year for admission to Georgia public colleges and universities, but are still required for some scholarships, The Athens Banner-Herald reported.

A standardized test score is still required for some scholarships, including the state’s Zell Miller scholarship – “the top tier of Georgia’s two-tiered HOPE scholarship program” – which pays full tuition costs but requires a 1200 SAT score or a 26 ACT score.

Private schools – including Emory University – will not require test scores. 1,508 U.S. colleges and universities will not require test scores for fall 2021 admission, according to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest). For Georgia public colleges, the test score requirement waive is temporary – a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Standardized testing has been a nationwide issue during the pandemic, with testing companies shutting down testing sites and postponing tests.

Although the state commission that manages the HOPE program has extended the SAT score submission deadline until December for students entering college this fall, it is becoming more apparent that extensions will not work as the pandemic continues.

Removing test scores for the Miller scholarships increase diversity among recipients without lowering standards, said Jennifer Lee, higher education analyst with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.