NCAA waiver of ACT/SAT for class of 2021 HS grads?

Does anyone have any insight re whether NCAA is likely to waive SAT/ACT requirement for class of 2021 grades? I couldn’t really find anything useful online. Feels inevitable but in the meantime kids still need to submit SAT/ACT for AI calculations per league rules/admissions. Wondering whether IVY and Patriot will no longer require SAT/ACT for class of 2021s if NCAA waives it, and if so, how the AI would be addressed. Thinking about balance of prereads and offers now that most schools are test optional (but not for athletes). Stinks for the athletes who already have so much on their plates. We did test early but were hoping to improve score a bit, also for merit aid, so we are chasing testing and prep and wondering if it will be all for naught. Seems crazy NCAA would waive only for 2020 HS grads since their recruiting cycle in theory would have been pretty wrapped up by the time COVID took off. Thanks!

Good question, and I have been searchng for the same answers. Seems at D1 it remains business as usual for '21 grads. And you are correct, it does not make logical sense why the ones most impacted would not be taken into consideration. Relatively few '20s failed to have SATs/ACTs at the time Covid shut everything down. I would say a significant minority. And certainly, the '21s will eventually get some kind of testing opportunity, but it is hardly the same playing field as anyone who prepared and took, and retook, the tests pre-Covid, junior year. Apples to oranges, and my guess is the scores will reflect this accordingly. NESCAC presumably is somewhere in the middle, with some reports on CC noting athletes getting the, “don’t or worry about the scores” to them being a pivotal question in the interview. Ivies will probably follow NCAA.

I am a skeptic on the fact that the NCAA waived for the current 2020 class. As mentioned, most athletes would have tested and I view it more as a way to get through those athletes that didn’t have a qualifying score (ie: too low) to get to play. It would be interesting to see how many and what sports this benefitted.

All communication has been Class of 2021 need scores. If a 2021 student took Fall and Winter of Junior year, they would have 2 scores already at best, so guessing all will hinge on if testing can even happen. If it is back up and running by August that will still give 2-3 opportunities before ED.

If not, the NCAA will have to adjust. I just also see this through a PR lens of the sensitivity of athletes already having the perceived unfair advantage and the Varsity Blues scandal didn’t help. Having athletes still test can be a positive talking point about the school and commitment to admitting qualified student athletes.

I would say for my daughter’s sport (crew) about 1/2 have at least 1 test and others have been asked for PSAT from coach to get an idea where they may land. Crew starts really heating up June between Sophomore and Jr year and these kids are advised to test early.

As someone said in a different post, it is the wild west right now and everything seems up for a change.

DI/II recruited athletes have until spring of senior year to produce their standardized test results for NCAA eligibility purposes. There are likely more recruits in this situation (still testing in spring of senior year) each year than we all think because, well, CC is so focused on selective/highly selective schools.

There are lots of lower academic seniors still testing in the spring, and these were probably most of the students who couldn’t get it done this past spring, hence the NCAA test score waiver for class of 2020. The NCAA wouldn’t have done that if it wasn’t necessary.

I have no insider info on whether the NCAA is likely to waive test requirements for DI/II class of 2021 recruits, I expect they are waiting to see if Aug/Sept/Oct testing goes, and if it does, they probably don’t need to make a blanket waiver…especially since the athletes have until the spring to product an eligibility score. Many states are also trying to get a school day SAT/ACT scheduled for the fall, which would also help increase access.

Yes, the waiver for 2020 grads was needed and probably affected more athletes than some CC posters realize. I wouldn’t expect any NCAA action on 2021 grads soon, although it’s hard to know that. It’s just not a big issue right now for most schools and recruits.

As far as Ivy and Patriot schools, those conferences could make changes but I’m not sure they see the need at this point. A decent number of recruits probably have scores that are good enough. Sure, it’s a bummer for those athletes that don’t have scores but if the recruit pool is large enough then the conferences don’t need to act. Keep in mind the conferences don’t require athletes to apply ED; the schools are the ones pushing that. So, at the school level, we might see more athletes waiting until the RD round if coaches don’t get the athletes they need earlier.

Princeton has already eliminated EA, although it’s not clear if that’ll change the recruiting timeline for athletes. They do indicate there’ll be flexibility for athletes who can’t test but I don’t know what that means:

“Recruited athletes will still need to adhere to the Ivy League policy and submit standardized testing, though the Office of Admission will be flexible in its review for those who simply cannot gain access.”

There’s some freedom under conference rules for the schools to modify their internal processes based on the assumption that testing might be more available in the fall. It’s not clear they have the incentive to do that though. It depends on the current supply of already-tested recruits.

It’s definitely a tough situation for recruits who haven’t tested.

“we might see more athletes waiting until the RD round if coaches don’t get the athletes they need earlier.”

Yes…was thinking RD may be an advantage this year. There are a lot of incentives to hang in through RD this year it seems to me (including financial potentially), although the flip is there could be fewer spots for incoming students due to 2020s taking gap years (though this too is debatable). I don’t know what to think anymore…this is my first kid so this is all new for us.

The NCAA doesn’t really care about the Ivy or Patriot league. The requirement for the SAT/ACT is to meet a minimum, not to get into a school because of the school’s higher score requirement.

The NCAA waived it this years because there were recruited and committed athletes who hadn’t qualified yet with the minimum score and wouldn’t be able to do so because all the tests were cancelled. If there are test dates available in this next school year, the NCAA won’t waive the requirement again. If they cancel all the test dates, then they will.