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The University of California system has announced that it will formally review whether it should once again require standardized test scores for undergraduate admissions.<\/p>\n
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The University of California will consider reinstating a requirement that undergraduate applicants submit scores on standardized admissions tests like the ACT or SAT.<\/p>\n
In a June 11 letter<\/a>, UC Academic Senate Chair Ahmet Palazoglu announced that the Academic Senate\u2019s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) had started a faculty-led process to conduct a comprehensive review of the university\u2019s admissions policies, including the use of standardized tests in the first-year admissions process as well the 15 courses that high school graduates are currently required to complete, known as the A-G subject requirements<\/a>. <\/p>\n In his letter, Palazoglu acknowledged that it \u201chas become clear that academic preparedness for college is a growing challenge.\u201d He added \u201cwhile recent faculty concerns have drawn renewed attention to these issues, BOARS\u2019 work is designed to address these challenges in a changing educational landscape.\u201d Both the letter and the policies under review are available on the BOARS website<\/a>.<\/p>\n The move was not entirely unexpected, coming in response to increasing concerns expressed by University of California faculty and others about the consequences of UC\u2019s decision in 2020 to drop standardized test scores as part of its undergraduate admissions process. <\/p>\n Last November, a report by a UC San Diego Academic Senate<\/a> workgroup found that UC San Diego had seen \u201ca steep decline in the academic preparation of its entering first-year students \u2014 particularly in mathematics, but also in writing and language skills.\u201d According to that report, between 2020 and 2025, the number of entering students with math skills below high school level increased nearly thirtyfold, with 70% of those students falling below middle school levels.<\/p>\n The report identified several factors contributing to that academic deterioration, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the elimination of standardized testing, grade inflation, and the admission of more students from under-resourced high schools. <\/p>\n Then, earlier this month, more than 1,400 UC professors, many in math and STEM disciplines, signed an open letter<\/a> calling on UC to reinstate a SAT\/ACT mathematics requirement for applicants to STEM majors beginning with the 2027 admissions cycle.<\/p>\n In their letter, which received national media attention, the professors blamed the problem of inadequate preparation in part on the university\u2019s elimination of the SAT\/ACT requirement, a decision they decried as \u201ca temporary measure that has now become a permanent vulnerability.\u201d And they insisted that the decline observed in students\u2019 academic readiness was forecast by UC\u2019s own report on standardized testing, \u201cwhich warned that removing these tests would eliminate a vital predictor of college success and obscure the impact of severe high-school grade inflation. Unfortunately, the outcomes cautioned against in that report have now materialized in the data across our campuses.\u201d<\/p>\n The Review Process<\/p>\n BOARS has developed a roadmap to identify how UC can \u201cimprove admissions policies, where appropriate, while advancing two goals: maintaining access to a UC education for the most promising students in California and beyond, and ensuring that incoming students are prepared to succeed in college-level coursework and UC undergraduate degree programs.\u201d<\/p>\n The process will rely on two faculty-led workgroups. One will consider the use of standardized tests in first-year admissions, including the ACT, SAT, or Smarter Balanced Assessment ELA\/Math scores. The other will review the university\u2019s high-school course requirements to determine whether they adequately prepare applicants for academic success at UC.<\/p>\n The majority of the testing workgroup will be composed of UC faculty (including at least five members with content expertise in lower-division English\/composition, mathematics, and related disciplines). It will also have representatives from the California State Board of Education, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and other staff with expertise in admissions and enrollment management.<\/p>\n The group is charged with submitting a final written report containing its findings and recommendations by May 15, 2027. Any recommendations would then work their way through the University\u2019s shared governance process, which would include a review by the Academic Senate before being presented to UC leaders.<\/p>\n University of California President James B. Milliken expressed his support for the process, issuing a statement<\/a> that \u201cthe Board of Regents and University leadership take very seriously the critical issue of college preparedness.\u201d He added, \u201cthere are few things more important on our agenda. The faculty review will focus on both preparation and admissions, including whether standardized testing should be required. It\u2019s important that UC gets this right.\u201d <\/p>\n Any changes to undergraduate admissions requirements or policies would require final approval by the UC Board of Regents. If a test requirement were to be officially restored, the earliest it would be implemented would be for first-year applications submitted in Fall 2028 by students seeking to enroll in Fall 2029.<\/p>\n A Decision With National Significance <\/p>\n