University of California Reviews Testing Policy Amid Faculty Concerns

The University of California (UC) has initiated a thorough review of its standardized testing policy. This decision comes on the heels of a significant protest by faculty members expressing concerns over the necessity to re-teach basic mathematics to incoming university students.

James B. Milliken, President of the University of California, emphasized the importance of college readiness in a statement. Milliken pointed out that the Academic Senate’s faculty-led review would cover both preparation and admissions. The focus is on deciding whether standardized testing should once again be required. An initial update on the review findings is expected in July.

The policy review was prompted by an open letter signed by more than 1,400 faculty members, supporting the reinstatement of SAT/ACT mathematics requirements for STEM majors. The petition has received endorsements from seven of UC’s nine mathematics department chairs.

Many faculty members argue that the removal of standardized testing has deprived admissions officers of a clear benchmark, obscuring significant academic shortcomings among incoming students. A report from UC San Diego revealed an alarming increase in underprepared students. The number of first-year students with math skills below high school level grew from approximately 1 in 200 students in 2020 to nearly 1 in 8 students over five years. Shockingly, 70% of these students scored below middle school proficiency.

Professors have raised concerns about the reliability of high school transcripts due to grade inflation, while application essays suffer from the widespread use of generative artificial intelligence.

“Objective benchmarks are essential for restoring academic baselines,” Karajean Hyde, co-director of the UC Irvine Math Project, told Fox News Digital.

Though faculty recognize UC’s history in aiding under-resourced students, they stress the risk in placing unprepared students into challenging STEM fields without proper assessment. They argue that failing to measure preparation leads to difficulties in the classroom.

The decision from the UC Board of Regents could potentially alter or reinstate admissions policies. If the Academic Senate suggests rolling back policies, the earliest implementation for testing requirements would be in the fall 2028 admissions cycle.

The reconsideration of standardized testing policies reflects a national trend. Several elite institutions—such as MIT, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and the University of Texas at Austin—have reversed test-optional policies, reinforcing that standardized tests remain a reliable measure of college readiness.