LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Institutional Research, Analytics, and Decision Support (IRADS) team is sharing its expertise internationally next week with other universities that will allow new student admissions without ACT and SAT scores. UK made the decision earlier this year to implement a test-optional policy for admissions to accommodate those students who may have challenges completing standardized tests due to COVID-19. This policy required alternative data to be considered for a variety of decision points including admissions, academic readiness, prerequisite determination, institutional aid, and more. Using criteria like high school GPA, a new model needed to be created for the student admissions process.