UC Faculty Demand Return of SAT/ACT Tests for STEM Applicants Citing Math Deficits

More than 600 University of California faculty members, led by mathematicians at UC Berkeley, are calling for the reinstatement of standardized testing requirements for science, technology, engineering and mathematics applicants. The demand comes six years after the UC system suspended SAT and ACT testing in admissions, citing concerns that the test-free policy has failed to reliably assess student readiness for college-level work.

Faculty members report severe mathematical deficits among incoming students, with instructors forced to teach middle-school level mathematics alongside college coursework. According to the open letter to UC leadership, at least 20% of Berkeley's first-semester calculus students demonstrated significant math deficits on diagnostic exams between fall 2021 and fall 2023. The letter characterizes the situation as critical, stating "basic mathematical fluency is analogous to literacy; without it, success in university-level STEM becomes structurally unattainable for students." Faculty are requesting that SAT or ACT exams be required beginning in fall 2027 and that STEM faculty be granted formal oversight of readiness standards in their majors.

The faculty position contrasts with UC's landmark 2020 decision to suspend and eventually eliminate standardized testing requirements. At that time, the UC Board of Regents cited concerns that tests were biased against students of color and those from lower-income families. However, the Standardized Testing Task Force had previously found that test scores were better predictors of college performance than high school grades, and that their use could actually improve admission rates for disadvantaged students.

The faculty letter arrives as the UC Academic Senate's Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools prepares to discuss system-wide admissions changes. The timing reflects broader national trends, as elite universities including Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, and Caltech have restored standardized testing requirements since 2024. UC leadership has not formally endorsed the faculty position but indicated they are listening to faculty concerns.