Following the avalanche of ACT/SAT waivers that colleges and universities announced this year to accommodate applicants who were not able to take the standardized tests before the testing ceased on account of the coronavirus pandemic, institutions are now adjusting to the fact that many high schools nationwide will not be giving letter grades for spring courses.
The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities left the matter for its members to decide, but encouraged AICCU colleges to evaluate all pass grades without prejudice, taking into consideration the unique circumstances.
University of California and California State University are among the first to announce that they will accept grades of "credit" and "pass", and the respective courses will not be taken into account when computing applicants' GPA.
“We want to help alleviate the tremendous disruption and anxiety that is already overwhelming prospective students due to COVID-19,” said John Pérez, chair of the UC Board of Regents, in a statement Wednesday. “By removing artificial barriers and decreasing stressors — including suspending the use of the SAT — for this unprecedented moment in time, we hope there will be less worry for our future students.”
At the moment, the UC is considering this change to be temporary.
Both universities also announced that they would not enforce their respective admissions deadlines in July, to accommodate possible delays with the issuance of official school transcripts.
Applications from students who are unable to complete their spring coursework will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
AICCU members are not anticipating admissions delays at this point. "Decisions have already been made and opening up admissions decisions will only cause greater confusion and complications for institutions, students, and their families," announced the Association this week.
