Test Blind on the Rocks at the University of California
The Test-Blind experiment at the University of California is hitting a rough patch as hundreds of faculty are now calling for a return to standardized testing requirements. As of 5/29, over 900 professors and academics have signed the petition calling to reinstate the “SAT/ACT mathematics requirement for applicants to STEM majors beginning with the 2027 admissions cycle.” In the petition, the faculty address the decline in student math preparedness, which has resulted from the abandonment of standardized admissions tests and the reliance on inflated grades to inform admissions decisions. Of the ten campuses in the UC system, those most represented in the petition are the most selective, with 281 signatures from UC Berkeley and 107 from UCLA. Additionally, seven of the nine Chairs of Mathematics Departments have signed plus an additional 44 STEM department chairs.
UC San Diego
This petition reflects trouble that surfaced in November when UC San Diego released a report outlining just how many of its students entered the university unable to complete the most basic algebra and math problems. Students who had attained respectable math grades in high school were in need of immediate remediation upon entering UCSD. Since abandoning the use of the SAT and ACT in admissions, the increase in remedial math students at UCSD has been staggering. In 2020, 1 in 200 (.5%) incoming students needed math remediation. That number skyrocketed to 1 in 8 (12.5%) as of 2025, an increase of 2,400%.
Petitioners are grappling with the degradation of math ability in their classrooms
Those who signed the petition cite UCSD data indicating that over the last five years, “the number of students whose mathematics skills fall below high school level increased nearly thirtyfold; moreover, 70% of those students fall below middle school levels.” For three consecutive years, “20-30% of UC Berkeley first-semester calculus students who participated in mathematical diagnostic testing displayed severe preparation deficits.” Given the storied reputation of UC Berkeley as a national leader in higher education, it is no surprise that faculty at UC Berkeley are coming out of the woodwork to sign this petition to protect their institution. The UC system lacks the resources to provide long remedial pathways for students who are unprepared for the rigor of the UC system. The faculty have noted that these trends will lead to “declining graduation rates, longer time to degree, and reduced completion of STEM majors, with consequences for California’s highly skilled STEM workforce.”
The faculty never wanted the change to test-blind admissions
That faculty are pushing back against test-blind admissions is not remotely surprising. The faculty never wanted to lose the standardized admissions tests and fought to keep them when the UC President and Board of Regents began rattling sabers against testing in 2018 and 2019. The faculty-led Standardized Testing Task Force of UC was assembled in early 2019 and released its 200+-page empirical report in February 2020. The STTF report confirmed the predictive value of the SAT and ACT in UC admissions, and found that eliminating the testing requirement would likely decrease student preparation, retention and graduation. Based on this data, the UC Academic Senate, consisting of UC faculty, voted unanimously (51-0) to preserve SAT and ACT testing for five years. The Regents, led by vocal testing critic John A. Pérez, and Vice-Chair Cecilia Estolano, completely ignored the research findings and the pleas of the faculty to preserve testing. While the faculty voted unanimously to preserve testing requirements, the Regents voted unanimously to overturn them. Politics trumped research, and we ended up with UC going test-blind. But that may be about to change.
The Board of Regents has been reconfigured. Pérez resigned from the Board of Regents in 2024, and Cecilia Estolano’s term expired in 2022. And the warnings of the Standardized Testing Task Force have proved prescient. Abandoning standardized measures has weakened the student body and placed undue burdens on the faculty to teach students who are not college-ready.
Top STEM schools are returning to testing requirements or abandoning test-blind admissions
Many top STEM programs have returned to test-required admissions, from MIT, Caltech, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon and many others. It is becoming increasingly rare for a STEM institution to ignore standardized math testing. Worcester Polytechnic adopted a test-blind admissions policy in 2021, and then returned to test-optional admissions in 2024. Caltech pivoted from test blind to test-required in 2024. The rationale for returning to test-required admissions is simple: standardized math scores are key to predicting student readiness for advanced STEM courses. Stuart Schmill, MIT Dean of Admissions, stated it clearly: “Our research has shown that, in most cases, we cannot reliably predict students will do well at MIT unless we consider standardized test results alongside grades, coursework, and other factors.”
UC Faculty want the SAT and ACT back
In line with the faculty at other top STEM universities, the UC faculty values standardized tests. In fact, for more than two decades, the “Mathematics Department has found that out of all available student data, the single best predictor for math placement has been the SAT (math section) score, with the ACT score being an equally good predictor.” The petition states that “The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it. Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.” The faculty are actively encouraging the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) to explore the return of standardized testing and end the test-blind experiment.
Looking ahead
There are political forces that remain opposed to standardized admissions testing, despite the evidence of its utility in predicting student performance. Will the entreaties of 1,000 UC faculty be enough to move the needle? This remains to be seen. The voices of the faculty have been ignored before, and they may be ignored now. But the negative press coming from the UCSD research and the clear indications that students entering the UC system are not college-ready will increase public awareness of the problem and may lead to meaningful change in the UC system.
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