Years After Dropping SATs, UC Faces Calls To Bring Them Back

Six years after the University of California eliminated SAT and ACT requirements, more than 1,100 faculty members are urging the system to reconsider the policy. Coverage split over whether the professors' concerns reflect a need for standardized testing or broader problems in K-12 education.

Tests Won't Solve The Problem: An opinion writer for The Atlantic (Left) agreed that many students are arriving less prepared for college coursework, but argued that reinstating the SAT would not address the underlying cause. The writer pointed to pandemic learning loss, grade inflation, and worsening K-12 outcomes as the larger factors behind the trend. While acknowledging that standardized tests can help identify students who may struggle academically, the article argued that "the larger background problem" is that more students are graduating high school without basic mathematical competency and that standardized tests "can only measure it."

Professors Sound The Alarm: An analysis from the Wall Street Journal (Center) reflected on the concerns raised by UC faculty, reporting that instructors are increasingly reteaching middle school-level math while simultaneously trying to cover college-level STEM material. Faculty members cautioned that if the trend is "left unaddressed", it could lead to "declining graduation rates, longer time to degree and reduced STEM majors."

The Cost Of Going Test-Free: An analysis from The New York Post (Lean-Right) framed the faculty's letter to reinstate testing requirements as evidence that universities moved too quickly away from standardized testing in an effort to make admissions more equitable. The outlet mentioned that critics of the SAT and ACT argued the exams disproportionately benefited wealthier students while disadvantaged lower-income and minority applicants, leading many schools to drop testing requirements during and after the pandemic. Citing a UC San Diego report, the Post reported that roughly 900 incoming freshmen at that university lacked high school-level math skills in 2025, up from just 30 in 2020.

For Context: The University of California system removed testing requirements in 2020 following the pandemic, with many other universities following suit. Supporters of test-free admissions often argue that exams can disadvantage some; advocates for testing contend that scores provide an objective measure of academic readiness and are crucial to the holistic approach many colleges claim to utilize during admissions. In recent years, various selective universities have reverted from being test-optional, including MIT, Dartmouth, Harvard, Stanford and Yale reinstating test requirements.

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