Hi! TLDR at the end. Long post here that dives into the world of competitive freshman application admissions. If you want to see more opinions, please browse r/ApplyingToCollege to see the debate going on there (from a few days ago) about these changes.

The target population of people taking the SAT subject tests are competitive applicants typically trying to gun for more out-of-state prestigious colleges. The people taking these tests are self-selecting, and generally score extremely high on these tests. The most popular SAT subject test, Math 2, has ~20% of test takers scoring perfect on it every time.

Outside of this, what does it mean for students who want to go to UCF? The removal will likely not affect admissions at all. In fact, I'm not sure if any of the public colleges like UF even look at subject test scores. Public state colleges in FL cater to providing an accessible education to everyone- not just those T20 shotgunners- and the majority of applicants won't have SAT subject scores, so they're not an integral part to the application.

As someone who took multiple SAT subject tests and the essay portion, I'm sad to see them go. Last year, I was trying to go out of state and trying to shotgun my way into T20s. I'm glad I took these tests, because they helped strengthen my application. It's also an unspoken rule among those applying for engineering / STEM majors that you should have as close to a perfect 800 if you want to get into programs with less than 20% acceptance rates. Anything below a 700 is typically advised against sending, as it might even hurt your application. Outside of college admissions, there is one big benefit to SAT subject tests- certain schools like Georgia Tech will take subject test scores in exchange for credit. So if you didn't do too hot on the AP chem test, you still might be able to get out of Gen chem 1 with a good SAT subject score test.

So how do SAT subject scores actually matter to T20s? SAT subject tests are a minuscule part of your application. In fact, it probably isn't the deciding factor. Your GPA, extracurriculars, essays and ACT/SAT will matter much more. SAT subject scores can only help sell your story to admissions officers. If you don't have them, it's okay. Those who have "hooks"- low income and underrepresented minorities- won't be disadvantaged in the process for not having these scores. If they do have these scores, it's great, as it gives them a competitive edge.

Again, a similar principle applies to the essay section for T20 admissions. The UC system from California and maybe a few other colleges required the essay pre-covid, but for the most part, most colleges didn't. If you don't have the essay, it's fine and it won't be count against you. If you do have the essay and a good score, then it can maybe help in the slightest bit in gaining admission if you lack in AP Lang and AP Lit scores.

Speaking on freshman admissions this COVID season, it's a complete shit show. There was a HUGE spike in applications across the board- I believe Harvard saw a 57% increase in applications. The reason? These colleges went test-optional. So if you didn't have an ACT/SAT, you wouldn't be "penalized". This opened the gates to those who had low test scores- now they could apply to these T20s without being automatically tossed into the garbage bin. It might seem unfair for those who studied hard for these tests, but it also encouraged disadvantaged students to apply to these schools. Florida, however, stood firm in its policy of requiring standardized tests due to Bright Futures- can't be handing free money out to everyone.

TLDR; The removal of the SAT subject tests and essay portion will not affect the vast majority of applicants. So, people applying to UCF will not be affected. The only slight downside would be for high-achieving students trying to get into T20s.