West Virginia University could soon become the first public institution in the state to require applicants to submit writing results from the SAT and ACT entrance exams.

WVU is seeking approval from its Board of Governors to make results of the new writing assessment mandatory when the board meets Sept. 5 in Morgantown. Both the ACT and its rival, the SAT, will offer an essay question in 2005.

WVU is among a growing number of colleges, including California, Texas and Penn State, that will require future applicants to take a standardized writing test.