Stanford University has made ACT or SAT scores mandatory for fall 2025 applicants after filing felony burglary charges against 13 pro-Palestine demonstrators, including a Stanford Daily reporter, who barricaded themselves in university offices.
The protesters face bail, campus exclusion until June 12, and graduation restrictions. Their demands included university divestment from Israel, financial transparency, and dropping charges against pro-Palestine students.
“Thirteen individuals were arrested inside Building 10 this morning. In addition to going through the law enforcement process, any arrested individuals who are students will be immediately suspended. Any who are seniors will not be allowed to graduate. These actions are necessary based on the public safety threat posed to our campus community,” according to Stanford’s Acting President Richard Saller and Vice President Jenny Martinez.
Shortly after the arrests, Stanford disclosed the reinstatement of standardized testing prerequisites for the fall 2025 cohort, stating that a faculty committee had determined “performance on standardized tests is an important predictor of academic performance at Stanford.”
Stanford, alongside prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, Brown, MIT, and Dartmouth, is reintroducing standardized testing mandates, aligning with other leading academic institutions.
Stanford proceeded to dismantle the designated area for the pro-Palestine demonstration on campus, stating that “The situation on campus has now crossed the line from peaceful protest to actions that threaten the safety of our community.”
Stanford had permitted the occupation of the site since April, making the progression to felony charges and the dispersal of the site a sudden change of events.
Protests inside the president’s office building have a deep-rooted history at Stanford, dating back to the Vietnam War era. Stanford’s website showcases a collection of notable activism events, including the occupation of the president’s office by South Africa divestment demonstrators in the 1980s.
The foundational mission statement of Stanford University is encapsulated in a vision focused on “inclusion, civic engagement and a respect for robust discourse in education and residential life, preparing students for lives of active citizenship.”
The university’s website contains a comprehensive record of campus activism dating all the way back to 1891.
During 2021, Stanford’s board of trustees organized a discussion panel on student involvement, and the summary highlighted that “giving students ownership of creating social contract norms for discussion of controversial matters” can “help create more vibrant, candid and inclusive dialogue.”
The Title IX section on Stanford’s website includes information about “Activism as Healing” and “Activism as Empowerment.”
