Nebraska university to drop standardized test requirements

A Roman Catholic university in Omaha will no longer require most first-year applicants to submit results from the ACT or SAT tests beginning in 2020.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that Creighton University announced the test-optional initiative on Tuesday.

The private university's president, Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, says the idea came from discussions among university leaders about enrollment, diversity and inclusion. He says the goal is to improve access for less-advantaged students.

Applicants still required to submit their scores include home-schooled students, direct-entry nursing applicants, students who will play NCAA sports and students who attended high school outside the U.S.

Hendrickson says other schools have adopted similar optional testing application systems, including the University of Chicago, DePaul University, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona.