Overview
- The open letter, circulated in late May 2026, was signed by hundreds of UC STEM professors who demand SAT or ACT math scores be required for applicants to STEM majors beginning with the 2027 admissions cycle.
- Signatories cite a UC San Diego Senate‑Administration workgroup report that found a roughly 30‑fold rise from 2020 to 2025 in first‑year students testing below high‑school math level and reported that about 70 percent of that group scored below middle‑school levels.
- Faculty say the preparedness gap has widened classroom divisions, lengthened students' paths through prerequisite material, and forced instructors to spend class time on middle‑school math rather than college‑level topics.
- UC system leaders have not endorsed the letter and instead have asked the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools and the systemwide Academic Senate to review admissions and readiness policy and produce a roadmap of work and partnerships.
- Researchers and past UC task forces disagree on the fix, with some arguing standardized tests predict first‑year outcomes while others say high‑school GPA and broader K‑12 support better serve a public university mission, leaving the evidence and policy options contested.