The University of Chicago is becoming the first major US research university to stop requiring American undergraduate applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores, reports the AP. The decision that school officials say is designed to help even the playing field for students from low-income or underrepresented communities has been made by some liberal arts colleges, but the University of Chicago is the first major research university to do so. The university also said Thursday that it will provide full-tuition aid for students whose families earn less than $125,000 and offer new scholarships to military veterans and children of veterans, police officers, and firefighters. The school will also let applicants submit a video introduction instead of requiring that they sit for an interview.
Per
CBS Chicago, the school also intends to offer mentorship programs to students from underrepresented communities “The UChicago Empower Initiative levels the playing field, allowing first-generation and low-income students to use technology and other resources to present themselves as well as any other college applicant. We want students to understand the application does not define you—you define the application,” James G. Nondorf, vice president and dean of Admissions at the university, said in a
statement about the decision on Thursday. The university said rollout of the initiative will begin with the class of 2023.
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