Students applying to Hawaii Pacific University will no longer have to submit standardized test scores such as the SAT and ACT, the university announced Friday.

“We do want to be fairer to good students who might not have access to test preparation or testing itself because of the many temporary changes they are living with these days,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Greg Grauman.

The test-optional pilot program takes effect immediately for incoming freshman this fall at the private university, which has 4,000 students and one of the most culturally diverse campuses in the country.

The university said it had been considering the move for some time and the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the decision. HPU already did not require standardized testing for its international students.

Test-optional admissions are growing in popularity and more than 1,100 U.S. colleges have already lifted standardized testing requirements to increase accessibility in recent years.

“We are starting this as a three-year pilot program to ensure we can analyze data of incoming undergrads without standardized testing, and appropriately measure their academic success, before deciding whether to continue with optional standardized test scores,” Grauman said.

Students may still submit standardized test scores if they choose.