As of early June, over 1,400 University of California (UC) faculty across the University’s campuses have signed on to a letter asking the UC Board of Regents, the UC Office of the President and the UC Academic Senate leadership to require undergraduate STEM applicants, starting with the 2027-28 admissions cycle, to submit an SAT or ACT math score. The letter also called for STEM faculty members to have more oversight over admissions practices, as well as academic readiness standards, for undergraduate STEM majors.

The letter cites widening gaps in students’ mathematical preparation after the elimination of standardized testing that occurred during the pandemic. It also references a UC San Diego Senate-Administration Workgroup on Admissions report released in November 2025, which found that the number of students with math skills below high-school level increased by nearly 30 times over the past five years. 

Of concern is that students’ grade-point averages and application essays no longer reliably assess whether they are prepared for university-level STEM coursework amid an era of grade inflation and artificial intelligence tools. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.” “Furthermore, the widening spread between underprepared and well-prepared students creates polarized courses, weakening the foundation available to many students and making it harder to teach at the level required for advanced STEM work.”

SAT and ACT math scores provide a baseline measure of readiness rather than a measure of advanced mathematical ability. The letter notes that Harvard University, Dartmouth College and Brown University, among others, have reinstated standardized testing requirements for STEM program admissions after similarly suspending them during the pandemic. 

The letter as well as its signatories can be found here: https://ucstudentsuccess.org/.