University of Miami is latest college to reinstate mandatory standardized testing

The University of Miami recently announced that it will be removing a COVID-era policy that did not require incoming undergraduate applicants to report test scores.

The standardized test score policy is set to be put back in place for any students applying during the 2026 undergraduate admissions cycle.

The University of Miami recently announced that it will be removing a COVID-era policy that did not require incoming applicants to report test scores.

The standardized test score policy is set to be put back in place for any students applying during the 2026 undergraduate admissions cycle. 

Miami’s website says the school will revert back to previous standards for admissions, stating that the university previously “paused” the standardized test score policy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This policy is the latest in a trend of high-profile colleges and universities reinstating their standardized testing requirements for admissions. Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have also restored the requirement, as well as Johns Hopkins University

The University of Florida requires standardized testing, but allows students to take the Classic Learning Test (CLT) instead of the SAT or ACT. In 2023, Campus Reform reported that the University of Florida System approved the CLT as an alternative exam. 

Miami’s move will now require any prospective students entering the undergraduate admissions process at the university to “submit an SAT or ACT score with their admissions application.” 

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“Along with a student’s high school record and other factors, the SAT or ACT test results help shape the review process of a student’s application,” the web page reads.  

“While we recognize the value of changing the policy during the pandemic, we have decided to go back to including this information as our data show that standardized test scores can be a predictor of academic success,” Guillermo “Willy” Prado is quoted as saying on the web page. 

Prado added that the university considers “a wide array of information in our admissions decisions and [relies] heavily on a student’s high school performance and grade point average, along with community involvement and many other factors.” 

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Miami also offered a statement to address concerns that upcoming applicants might have about the move to pre-COVID application requirements. 

“The University’s undergraduate admission counselors will still use a holistic process to review each applicant, carefully considering and contextualizing a student’s academic record, extracurricular activities, including community involvement and work, personal statement, and test scores,” admissions official Nate Crozier said.

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Miami for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.