Standardized testing is making a comeback at Alabama's public universities, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham is leading the local headlines. UAB plans to reinstate mandatory ACT or SAT scores for both admissions and scholarship reviews starting with the Fall 2028 cycle, ending a test-optional stretch that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shift was set in motion when the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees announced on October 1, 2026, that it would end pandemic-era test-optional policies across all three system campuses — Tuscaloosa, UAB, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville — with full enforcement for all freshman applicants by Fall 2028, according to The Crimson White. As WVTM 13 reports, UAB applicants will no longer be able to apply test-optional once that cycle begins, and will instead need to submit ACT or SAT scores for both admissions and scholarship consideration.
A GPA-Based Exemption at UA Tuscaloosa
For the 2027-28 admissions cycle, applicants to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa with a GPA of at least 3.0 are exempt from submitting scores; Auburn requires scores from all applicants. Full enforcement of the Alabama System policy is set for Fall 2028.
To help ease that adjustment, the University of Alabama offers Tide to Success, a free online test-prep and college-readiness course for in-state students, alongside an in-person summer camp called UA ACTivate. Test prep access has long been flagged by critics as a key disparity driving standardized testing outcomes, making the free programming notable for families worried about the return of required scores.
Auburn and the Rest of the South Are Moving the Same Direction
UAB isn't alone in reversing course. Auburn University, Alabama's other public flagship, announced back in August 2025 that it would phase out its own test-optional pilot and require ACT or SAT scores from all first-year applicants starting in Fall 2027, according to The Auburn Plainsman. During that pilot program, admitted test-optional students averaged a 4.2 high school GPA, the same outlet reported.
The pattern isn't unique to Alabama, either. Testing policies are also changing in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Not every Alabama school is following suit, though — the University of North Alabama, Jacksonville State University, and the University of South Alabama continue to maintain test-optional admissions, per AL.com.
Test-Optional Policies Still Allowed Score Submission
Test-optional policies did not prevent applicants from submitting scores. At the University of Alabama, applicants may submit scores for automatic merit scholarship consideration.
Alabama also has a built-in advantage when it comes to access: state education policy mandates that all public high school juniors take the ACT, whose writing section is optional; state-administered ACT dates are free, per PrepScholar. That means most in-state students already have a composite score on file well before application season, lowering the practical burden of resubmitting one.
Other Alabama Schools Are Still Weighing Their Options
Not every institution has made up its mind. Dwyane Green, admissions director at Alabama A&M University, told WVTM 13 he has not yet discussed a possible standardized-test requirement change with the university's administration, though he expects a decision could come soon. “I'm hopeful it is going to have positive results for us as a university,” Green said, while also noting that test scores do not always show how well a student will perform in the classroom.
That tension — between test scores as a readiness benchmark and their limits as a predictor of classroom performance — sits at the center of the debate as Alabama's university systems finalize their phased rollouts. For now, prospective UAB and Alabama System applicants have a two-year runway before the Fall 2028 deadline; for 2027-28, applicants to UA Tuscaloosa with at least a 3.0 GPA are exempt from submitting scores.
