A group of more than 300 mathematics professors across the University of California system has petitioned administrators to reinstate standardized testing requirements for STEM majors, citing what they describe as "severe mathematical deficits" among incoming students admitted without SAT or ACT scores.

The petition, submitted to the UC Board of Regents this week, argues that the university's 2025 decision to permanently eliminate standardized testing from admissions has resulted in students entering calculus and engineering programs without adequate mathematical preparation, leading to soaring failure rates and compromising academic standards.

"We are seeing students in multivariable calculus who struggle with basic algebra," said Professor David Eisenbud, a mathematician at UC Berkeley and one of the petition's lead authors. "The intent behind eliminating standardized tests was to improve equity. But we're finding that students who need the most support are being admitted to programs they're not prepared for, which doesn't serve anyone well."

The UC system dropped its SAT and ACT requirements in 2025 after years of debate over whether standardized tests discriminate against low-income students and students of color. The decision followed a California Superior Court ruling and made the UC system one of the largest public university networks in the nation to eliminate the exams from admissions.

Supporters of that decision argue standardized tests primarily measure socioeconomic advantage rather than academic potential, pointing to data showing strong correlations between test scores and family income. "These exams have always been biased toward students who can afford test prep," said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, vice president for the College Board's Student Advocacy. "High school GPA is a much better predictor of college success."

But the math professors contend their classroom experience tells a different story, at least for STEM fields. According to data compiled by the petition authors, failure rates in introductory calculus courses across the UC system have increased by 12 percentage points since test-optional admissions began, with the steepest increases at campuses serving the most first-generation college students.

At UC Merced, which serves a predominantly Latino student body in California's Central Valley, calculus failure rates reached 37% last academic year, compared to 23% in 2024, the last year standardized tests were required. Professor Maria Santos, chair of the mathematics department there, says the statistics reflect a painful reality.

"We're admitting students from underserved communities—which is wonderful and necessary—but we're not giving them the tools to succeed once they're here," Santos said. "Many of these students attended high schools where advanced math courses weren't even offered. A high GPA doesn't always reveal those gaps."

The petition proposes a nuanced approach: reinstate standardized testing specifically for students applying to STEM majors, while keeping admissions test-optional for humanities and social science programs. It also calls for UC to develop its own math placement exam that all admitted STEM students would take, with mandatory remedial coursework for those who score below a threshold.

As Americans like to say, all politics is local—even in the nation's capital. And nowhere is this debate more local than in California, where public university admissions policies have long been battlegrounds for larger questions about equity, meritocracy, and opportunity.

The controversy has created unusual political alignments. Some progressive education advocates find themselves defending the test-optional policy against critiques from faculty members who share their commitment to educational equity but disagree on methods. Meanwhile, some conservatives who opposed eliminating tests are skeptical of the professors' proposal to create a UC-specific exam, seeing it as an expensive bureaucratic solution.

"This is what happens when you make policy decisions based on ideology rather than evidence," said Richard Sander, a UCLA law professor who has studied affirmative action policies. "The test-optional movement assumed you could eliminate standardized tests without consequences. These math professors are showing there are real costs."

But test-optional advocates say the professors are looking at incomplete data from a period of transition. Bob Schaeffer, executive director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, points out that many universities saw temporary disruptions during the pandemic and its aftermath.

"Failure rates increased at many institutions for complex reasons—COVID learning loss, mental health challenges, financial stress," Schaeffer said. "Blaming test-optional admissions ignores all those factors. Give the policy time to work and invest in support programs for students who need them."

The UC administration has not yet responded formally to the petition but issued a statement saying it is "committed to both access and excellence" and will "carefully review faculty input on admissions policies."

The stakes extend beyond California. Hundreds of colleges and universities across the country have adopted test-optional policies in recent years, with many making the shift permanent. If the UC system—one of the most prestigious public university networks in the world—reinstates testing for some programs, it could trigger a broader reconsideration of test-optional admissions nationwide.

For students and families navigating college admissions, the debate creates uncertainty. Is the SAT coming back? Should students in California still prepare for it? The answer, for now, depends on who you ask and what you want to study. For aspiring engineers and scientists, the message from these math professors is clear: numbers matter, and not just in the equations.