University of Chicago won’t require SAT or ACT scores to get in

The University of Chicago is becoming the first major U.S. research university to stop requiring American undergraduate applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores.

The prestigious and highly selective school says some students may feel that the standardized test results don’t fully reflect their potential. The university said Thursday that it anticipates many students still will submit scores because other schools require them.

James Nondorf, dean of admissions, says students “define the application” — not the other way around. The university will also allow applicants to introduce themselves with a two-minute video, replacing campus interviews.

The decision that school officials say is designed to help even the playing field for students from low-income or underrepresented communities has been made by some liberal arts colleges but the school is the first major research university to do so.

The university also said Thursday that it will provide full-tuition aid for students whose families earn less than $125,000 and offer new scholarships to military veterans and children of veterans, police officers and firefighters. The school will also let applicants submit a video introduction instead of requiring that they sit for an interview

Rollout of the initiative will begin with the class of 2023.

The school has 6,300 undergraduates. Tuition last year was $53,000.