An Act relative to admissions requirements to institutions of higher education
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 6/23/2025 | Senate | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means |
| 4/29/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 05/05/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1 |
| 2/27/2025 | House | House concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Referred to the committee on Higher Education |
No additional cosponsors.
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J29 | Favorable | — |
| Bill | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| H1458 | An Act relative to admissions requirements to institutions of higher education | Active |
The department of higher education shall review the practice of requiring applicants to take a standardized college entrance aptitude test to gain admittance to an undergraduate degree program at a public institution of higher education in the commonwealth. The review shall include an analysis of the number of public institutions of higher education in Massachusetts and in other states that require a standardized college entrance aptitude test, that make the test optional, or that do not permit the use of the tests and recent trends in this area; the number of states that do not require or do not permit the use of such tests by law or regulation and their experience; the impact on student success and achievement of not requiring or not permitting the use of such tests; the extent to which the SAT and ACT tests accurately and reliably measure skills and knowledge that indicate a student’s achievements, abilities and college readiness; evidence of bias in the tests; and the impact of standardized admission tests on diversity among students, including diversity among racial and ethnic groups, income and wealth resources, and among immigrant and first-generation students, and other topics as determined by the department. In preparing the review, the department shall consult with people concerned with or with expertise regarding standardized admission tests, including leaders of secondary and public higher education institutions, students of public higher education institutions, people with academic expertise in admission criteria and standardized testing, organizations concerned about standardized admissions testing; organizations representing people of color, immigrants, and low-income people, and others as determined by the department. The review shall be published on the website of the department and submitted to the chairs of the joint committee on higher education, the joint committee on education, and the joint committee on racial equity, civil rights, and inclusion no later than 1 year after the effective date of this act.
The department of higher education shall review the practice of requiring applicants to take a standardized college entrance aptitude test to gain admittance to an undergraduate degree program at a public institution of higher education in the commonwealth. The review shall include an analysis of the number of public institutions of higher education in Massachusetts and in other states that require a standardized college entrance aptitude test, that make the test optional, or that do not permit the use of the tests and recent trends in this area; the number of states that do not require or do not permit the use of such tests by law or regulation and their experience; the impact on student success and achievement of not requiring or not permitting the use of such tests; the extent to which the SAT and ACT tests accurately and reliably measure skills and knowledge that indicate a student’s achievements, abilities and college readiness; evidence of bias in the tests; and the impact of standardized admission tests on diversity among students, including diversity among racial and ethnic groups, income and wealth resources, and among immigrant and first-generation students, and other topics as determined by the department. In preparing the review, the department shall consult with people concerned with or with expertise regarding standardized admission tests, including leaders of secondary and public higher education institutions, students of public higher education institutions, people with academic expertise in admission criteria and standardized testing, organizations concerned about standardized admissions testing; organizations representing people of color, immigrants, and low-income people, and others as determined by the department. The review shall be published on the website of the department and submitted to the chairs of the joint committee on higher education, the joint committee on education, and the joint committee on racial equity, civil rights, and inclusion no later than 1 year after the effective date of this act.