As of April 30, over 70 institutions of higher education had adopted some form of test-optional policies this spring, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Board’s vote extends an interim policy, which suspended the requirement through June 17, through the 2021-2022 academic year.

UW-Madison “may continue to require ACT or SAT scores from freshman applicants” as part of its holistic application process, according to meeting materials.

In response to concerns that this may hurt potential UW-Madison applicants, Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the university is working one-on-one with “a very small number of people” who may not have had the opportunity to take the exams. She said the vast majority of applicants were able to do so before submitting applications, which were due Feb. 1.

“I understand that our folks have been working with all of our students and that we are not concerned about students not being able to complete their application,” Blank said.