UC Faculty Call for Reinstatement of Standardized Testing

Editorial team Jun 9 · 3 min read
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More than 1,400 University of California mathematics and STEM faculty have signed an open letter urging UC regents to reinstate SAT/ACT mathematics requirements for applicants to STEM majors, beginning with the 2027 admissions cycle.

The letter cites a dramatic rise in underprepared students since the 2020 elimination of standardized testing. A UC San Diego report found that students scoring below high school math level increased nearly thirtyfold over five years, with 70% of those students falling below middle school level. At UC Berkeley, 20–30% of first-semester calculus students showed severe preparation deficits for three consecutive years.

Faculty argue that GPA and essays alone can no longer reliably measure readiness in an era of grade inflation and AI-assisted applications, and that restoring an objective math benchmark is essential to both academic standards and student success.

View the full letter here