UC faculty push to reinstate math test requirement for STEM admissions

More than 600 faculty members across the University of California system have signed a petition urging the reinstatement of mandatory SAT or ACT mathematics scores for undergraduate STEM applicants, arguing that current test‑optional policies leave large preparation gaps and threaten equity [3].

Key takeaways

• Over 1,100 STEM faculty have signed a system‑wide petition calling for a math‑test requirement beginning with the 2027 admissions cycle [2].
• Diagnostic testing at UC Berkeley shows that 46% of students who failed most of an eight‑topic math exam did not pass Calculus I in fall 2023 [2].
• A UC San Diego report released in November 2025 found the number of students with math skills below high‑school level rose nearly 30‑fold over five years, with 70% of those falling below middle‑school level [1][3].
• Faculty claim test‑blind policies shift preparation gaps into the classroom, increasing instructional burdens and lowering success rates for STEM majors [1][3].
• The UC Academic Senate will vote on the proposal, subject to approval by the Board of Regents [2].

Faculty alarm over math preparation gaps

The petition, first signed by UC Berkeley mathematics professors Svetlana Jitomirskaya and Zvezdelina Stankova, cites a UC San Diego admissions study that documented a dramatic rise in underprepared students since the university went test‑blind in 2020 [1]. The study reported that, over a five‑year span, the cohort of freshmen whose math skills were below high‑school level grew almost thirtyfold, and among those, nearly 70% performed below middle‑school level [1][3].

At UC Berkeley, a diagnostic exam given to Calculus I students between 2021 and 2023 revealed a widening divide between well‑prepared entrants and those with severe deficits. Students who correctly answered zero to two of eight math topics were classified as having a severe preparation deficit, and 46% of this group failed to pass Calculus I in fall 2023 [2]. Faculty such as Stankova recount having to spend office‑hour time on basic algebra concepts, noting a drop in class attendance and participation when teaching Calculus II in 2023 and again in fall 2025 [2].

Calls for oversight and equity

Signatories argue that the current reliance on GPA, essays, and “soft” metrics like extracurriculars does not reliably indicate readiness for rigorous STEM coursework, especially amid grade inflation and AI‑generated applications [1][3]. They contend that standardized math scores provide an objective measure that can help students from under‑resourced schools demonstrate competence, countering the notion that such tests are inherently inequitable. As Jitomirskaya put it, “When you remove scores, you pivot to ‘soft’ metrics… the SAT is the only objective way for a brilliant student from an under‑resourced school to ‘break through’” [2].

The petition also seeks greater faculty involvement in setting “readiness standards” and shaping admissions policies. The UC Academic Senate’s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools is drafting a proposal to work with K‑12 leaders on college readiness, and the Senate will vote on reinstating the math test requirement, pending Board of Regents approval [2].