The state of Illinois has passed a law that requires its public universities and community colleges to not require testing in the admissions process from in-state applicants. That’s right. By order of the state, these schools must be test-optional going forward as they are legally prohibited from requiring either an SAT or ACT score from in-state candidates for admission. The law, known as the Higher Education Fair Admissions Act, does not apply to out-of-state residents. Illinois has now joined the state of Colorado in inscribing test-optional admissions practices into law.

As Michael T. Nietzel writes for Forbes in a piece entitled “Illinois Passes Law Requiring Its Public Universities To Use Test Optional Admissions,” “The measure was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker on Friday. It was sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) and house sponsor LaToya Greenwood (D-East St. Louis). It received overwhelming support in the legislature, passing 109-8 in the House and 45-9 in the Senate. It goes into effect on January 1, 2022. ‘Standardized tests are not what universities need to rely on when accepting students,’ Belt said. ‘This necessary transition away from test scores will benefit those students who have the capability to be accepted into Illinois’ universities, but may struggle with test anxieties.'”

It will be interesting to see if other states in our union soon follow the lead of Colorado (which also recently banned legacy admission) and Illinois in making testing optional — by requirement of law — in the admissions process. Our guess? These two states won’t be alone for long. So stay tuned to see what happens next!