The University of California (UC) is undertaking a thorough review of its standardized testing policy. This decision was announced following significant feedback from faculty members who are concerned about being required to reintroduce middle school-level mathematics to new university students.
UC President James B. Milliken emphasized in a statement the importance of addressing college preparedness, stating, “The Board of Regents and University leadership take very seriously the critical issue of college preparedness, and the UC Academic Senate has proposed a comprehensive, data-driven review to support its recommendations to strengthen student readiness and success at UC.”
Milliken highlighted that the review, led by the Academic Senate, will examine preparation and admissions processes. A key focus will be determining whether standardized testing should again be a requirement. The UC Board of Regents and Milliken are slated to receive an initial update on these findings in July.
Recently, over 1,400 faculty members from UC campuses signed a petition urging the reinstatement of SAT/ACT math requirements, particularly for STEM fields. This push has substantial backing from academia, including seven of UC’s nine mathematics department chairs.
The faculty members have voiced that removing standardized testing has deprived admissions officers of a crucial objective benchmark. They believe this has concealed academic weaknesses within incoming students. The faculty letter noted extreme preparation gaps, forcing instructors to reteach middle school mathematics alongside advanced material necessary for science, engineering, and economics courses.
Supporting these concerns, a report from UC San Diego’s Senate–Administration Working Group on Admissions revealed a dramatic increase in students unprepared for college-level work. The proportion of incoming students with math skills below high school level has risen from 1 in 200 students in 2020 to nearly 1 in 8 currently, with 70% falling below middle school proficiency.
Professors have expressed that high school transcripts suffer from grade inflation, while admission essays are affected by artificial intelligence misuse. Karajean Hyde from UC Irvine’s Math Project reiterated the need for objective measures to maintain academic standards, asserting, “Standardized testing can play an important role in ensuring one level of measuring where that bar is so that the bar doesn’t move.”
While faculty members acknowledge UC’s history of aiding under-resourced students, they warn that without proper checks, pushing unprepared students into challenging STEM fields might ultimately do harm. The faculty letter argues that the SAT/ACT requirements support equity by providing essential baseline checks. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom,” the letter noted.
The UC Board of Regents maintains the authority to change admissions policies. Should the Academic Senate recommend reinstating standardized testing, the earliest implementation could be the fall 2028 admissions cycle.
The reconsideration of testing policies at UC reflects a broader trend nationally. Many elite schools such as MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and the University of Texas at Austin have reversed test-optional policies. These institutions determined standardized tests are vital for assessing college readiness, especially for students from lower-income backgrounds.
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