UC Test-Blind Policy Is Linked to Academic Decline as 12% of UCSD Freshmen Miss Pre-Calculus
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
UC Test-Blind Policy Is Linked to Academic Decline as 12% of UCSD Freshmen Miss Pre-Calculus
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
Summary
Nearly 12% of first-year UC San Diego students last fall were not qualified for pre-calculus, up from 0.5% in 2020, in what the report ties to the University of California’s test-blind admissions policy.
A UC committee had earlier concluded in a 225-page study that SAT and ACT scores predicted college readiness better than high school grades and were especially useful in identifying talented low-income and underrepresented students.
UC leaders still stopped accepting SAT and ACT scores during the pandemic, moving beyond test-optional to fully test-blind admissions even for applicants who wanted to submit results.
Berkeley faculty cited broader deterioration in basic skills, saying more than half of entering students on a math placement test missed elementary questions and some could not write complete sentences.
The report argues the policy has pushed top UC campuses toward remediation, admitting more underprepared students while rejecting others who might have succeeded.