Accessibility links

Breaking News

Student Union

ACT Test Centers Unexpectedly Closed

FILE - A student prepares for an ACT assessment test in Springfield, Ill., April 1, 2014.
FILE - A student prepares for an ACT assessment test in Springfield, Ill., April 1, 2014.

For high school students, SAT and ACT test cancellations are the latest in a string of postponed activities because of COVID-19.

Administrators of the admissions tests have announced delays at testing centers across the nation, especially in the wake of the pandemic that has closed secondary schools, colleges and universities.

Last weekend, at sites from South Carolina to Missouri, students arriving at testing centers to take the ACT found many of them shuttered. The test had been canceled without notification from the testing service.

"The ACT scheduled for today (7/18) has been CANCELED. ACT should have contacted you. We are very sorry if you were not notified," a sign stated at a testing center in South Carolina.

"I just drove an hour away only to find out that my test center was cancelled. I received no emails about the cancellation and there were many other people waiting outside the test center that were not notified either," tweeted Marian @Marian23341409. "Give me my money back @ACT."

ACT Education Solutions, the nonprofit organization that created and administers the standardized aptitude test that many colleges and universities use to assess applicants, has not released a statement regarding the closures. But it has posted a list of all official test center cancellations as well as an opportunity for students to sign up for a registration reminder.

Students will have three opportunities to take the ACT in September and four in October.

"My kid found out that the test center is cancelled today morning when he showed up. Why did you send a confirmation email on the 15th? Why no cancellation email? This is unconscionable behavior, I want an automatic refund," tweeted A S @Sobrinhofly.

Canceled standardized tests are not the only dilemma that high school students have faced because of COVID-19. Some students who took Advanced Placement (AP) tests online in May received an error message when they hit submit. Subsequently, a lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Los Angeles.

Additionally, since the pandemic struck, universities in the U.S. have altered their requirements for students' applications.

The University of California announced in May that they will drop the SAT and ACT requirements through the class of 2024. By 2025, the UC system, which has about 290,000 students, will either create their own test to replace it or get rid of it altogether.

Harvard University in Massachusetts also has dropped the standardized admission's test.

But for students still planning on attending a school with SAT and ACT testing requirements, the pandemic poses a problem.

"This is now my fourth test that's been canceled," tweeted ミ☆ @flsegd. "I found out from REDDIT that my test center was canceled because you didn't even send me an email. I almost drove 90 minutes away for the test."

For international students whose application and admissions cycle is much longer because of the time it takes to secure visas, canceled tests have become onerous. SAT tests have been canceled since April.

"Given the spring administrations canceled due to coronavirus, we are seeing very high interest in students wanting to register for the SAT," stated the College Board, a nonprofit organization based in New York that administers the SAT and other standardized tests.

The next SAT test dates scheduled for international locations are August 29, September 26, October 3, November 7 and December 5.

"As a result, there is a greater volume than usual of students trying to register. Students may expect interruptions and delays online."

See all News Updates of the Day

Universities in Middle East building research relationships with China  

FILE - University students display the flag of the Communist Party of China to mark the party's 100th anniversary during an opening ceremony of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei, September 10, 2021.
FILE - University students display the flag of the Communist Party of China to mark the party's 100th anniversary during an opening ceremony of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei, September 10, 2021.

As China bolsters research relationships with universities in the Middle East, the United States has taken notice – especially when that research involves artificial intelligence.

Reporting for University World News, Yojana Sharma has the story. (March 2024)

Tips for staying safe while studying in the US

FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2019 photo, Sgt. Jason Cowger, with Johns Hopkins University's Campus Safety and Security department, walks on the university's campus in Baltimore.
FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2019 photo, Sgt. Jason Cowger, with Johns Hopkins University's Campus Safety and Security department, walks on the university's campus in Baltimore.

Recent news events have raised safety concerns among some international students studying in the United States.

Adarsh Khandelwal, writing in the India Times, has tips for staying safe from the moment you arrive until the day you complete your studies. (March 2024)

Some colleges are making digital literacy classes mandatory

FILE - A teacher librarian at a Connecticut high school, left, works with a student in a Digital Student class, Dec. 20, 2017. The required class teaches media literacy skills and has the students scrutinize sources for their on-line information.
FILE - A teacher librarian at a Connecticut high school, left, works with a student in a Digital Student class, Dec. 20, 2017. The required class teaches media literacy skills and has the students scrutinize sources for their on-line information.

A 2019 study by Stanford found that most college students can’t tell the difference between real and fake news articles. Amid rampant online disinformation, and the threat of AI-generated images, some schools are making students learn “digital literacy” to graduate.

Lauren Coffeey reports for Inside Higher Ed. (March 2024)

With federal student aid delays, students aren’t sure what college will cost 

File - Students make their way through the Sather Gate near Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley, campus March 29, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif.
File - Students make their way through the Sather Gate near Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley, campus March 29, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif.

The U.S. Department of Education’s federal student aid form (FAFSA) experienced serious glitches and delays this year.

Now, many students have been admitted to college, but don’t know how much money they’ll need to attend.

Read the story from Susan Svrluga and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel for The Washington Post. (March 2024)

Senator draws attention to universities that haven’t returned remains

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, speaks with reporters as he walks to a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, speaks with reporters as he walks to a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington.

More than 70 U.S. universities continue to hold human remains taken from Native American burial sites, although those remains were supposed to be returned 30 years ago.

Jennifer Bendery writes in Huffington Post that one senator has been using his position in an attempt to shame universities into returning remains and artifacts. (April 2024)

Load more

XS
SM
MD
LG