In part because of the coronavirus pandemic, about 1,900 colleges and universities dropped requirements for standardized tests at least temporarily, and moved to “test-optional” or test-free admissions.

Now some colleges may drop those requirements permanently, responding to critics who say the tests favor students from wealthier families.

Eliminating test scores could also protect schools from lawsuits. Students for Fair Admissions, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court cases, relied heavily on data in its case against Harvard.

Data released by the College Board, which owns the SAT, reveals that students whose families are in the highest economic bracket score 100 points better than those in the lowest. Racial disparities in test scores are even starker. In 2022, white students scored an average of 1098 while Black students scored an average of 926.

Admissions offices could go even further, like the University of California system, which has gone “test blind,” meaning that it will not look at test scores even if students submit them.