This week, some important updates to Caltech’s application process, a test-optional update at UConn, an investigation at USC, the return of mask mandates, and a plan to increase capacity across the UCs.
Caltech announced the introduction of Restrictive Early Action for this coming fall and the extension of their test-free policy through Fall 2025.
The University of Connecticut announced that the pilot test-optional policy put into place during the pandemic will be extended for three more years. The university reports notable increases in applications and enrollment among “well-qualified students from first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented populations.”
The University of Southern California is under investigation by the Education Department after a student accused the school of allowing antisemitism on campus. Rose Ritch was elected student government vice president in 2020 and resigned later that year due criticism over her religious beliefs and support for Israel.
The newest Covid variant, BA.5, is spreading rapidly in California, and some institutions, particularly in Los Angeles County, have reinstated mask mandates to help curb the spread of infection.
Elsewhere in California, conversations are ongoing about increasing capacity across the University of California system. The newest plan is to offer 33,000 more seats for California residents, and more than half of those seats would be for the most popular schools in the UC system — UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC San Diego. This also means that the number of out-of-state and international students would be reduced across campuses.
Leave a Reply