Some low-income and rural high school students in Georgia face challenges related to cost and distance when it comes to taking the SAT or the ACT exams to get into college. The University System of Georgia has historically required at least one test score for admission.

Public school students across the state increased their average math score from 511 to 531 over last year’s class, and evidence-based reading and writing went from 532 to 546. Overall, the average Georgia student’s SAT score was 1077, 39 points higher than the national average.

Because of the pandemic, many students will be applying without standardized test scores and several other metrics selective schools have long relied on to make admissions decisions.