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The University of California is finally facing the mess its leaders made when they tossed out the SAT and ACT. This summer a large group of UC faculty — especially in math and science — publicly demanded the tests be brought back for STEM applicants. That push forced the system into a messy pause, with the Academic Senate, BOARS, and the Regents all scrambling for answers. The real story is simple: students are arriving underprepared, and the campus elites who promised equity by ditching tests are now searching for someone to blame.
Faculty revolt forces a rethink at UC
More than 1,400 UC faculty signed an open letter calling for the return of SAT/ACT requirements for science, technology, engineering and math students. That’s not a campus whisper — it’s a roar from professors who teach introductory calculus and physics. Those faculty say they are spending class time reteaching basic algebra instead of moving forward. When classroom instructors start writing public letters, administrators can’t pretend everything is fine.
Data show a sharp drop in math readiness
It’s not just anecdotes. A UC San Diego working‑group report found the number of freshmen with math skills below high school level rose nearly thirtyfold for the cohorts admitted after testing was dropped. That is a staggering figure. If true, it means many students admitted by the test‑free policy are not ready for college math. You don’t need academic theory to see the practical effect: more remedial classes, slower progress toward degrees, and harder work for faculty and students alike.
BOARS stalls while the Regents demand a deadline
The Academic Senate’s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) had planned a study to review the role of standardized tests. Then the board suspended its timeline, leaving the process in limbo. That prompted the Board of Regents’ chair to step in and tell faculty to deliver a recommendation by June 2027. Academic Senate leaders say they remain committed to a full review, but the pause exposed two painful truths: UC stopped collecting the test data it now says it needs, and political pressure — not evidence — drove the original decision to go test‑free.
Who wins, who loses — and what should happen next
Let’s be blunt. The people who lose here are the students stuck in remedial math and the taxpayers footing the bill for repeat instruction. The people who win are the activists who celebrate policy theater while ignoring outcomes. The sensible middle path is simple: restore testing as an option or a requirement for STEM admissions while using scores carefully and fairly. If UC wants both equity and rigor, it must stop treating ideology like a substitute for data. The system has a clear deadline now. Here’s hoping the Regents get answers and the students get the preparation they were promised.
