1,400 UC Faculty Urge Return of SAT and ACT Math Rules for STEM Admissions
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 9
1,400 UC Faculty Urge Return of SAT and ACT Math Rules for STEM Admissions
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 9
Summary
More than 1,400 University of California faculty signed an open letter urging the system to restore SAT/ACT math requirements for STEM applicants after years of test-blind admissions.
Faculty say the 2021 shift away from standardized scores has left many incoming students so underprepared that college instructors are reteaching basic or remedial math in calculus-track courses.
Diagnostic results cited from campuses including UC Berkeley and UC San Diego showed sizable foundational deficits, while professors and outside analysts said grade inflation has made GPAs a weaker signal of readiness.
The testing policy was first suspended in 2020 and then made permanent after a 2019 lawsuit over bias against low-income students of color and students with disabilities.
The push comes as Dartmouth, Yale, Brown and Princeton have reversed test-optional or test-blind policies, arguing internal data show test scores still best predict college success.