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UC Academic Senate Moves to Reconsider SAT and ACT for Admissions

The review responds to faculty warnings about severe math shortfalls with recommendations to the Board of Regents that would not allow reinstatement before fall 2028.

Overview

  • The Academic Senate’s admissions board, BOARS, said Thursday it will convene work groups to study whether to reinstate SAT or ACT scores and to review the high‑school A–G course requirements.
  • More than 1,400 UC professors, many in math and STEM fields, signed an open letter urging a return of testing after reporting that instructors must reteach basic middle‑school math.
  • A UC San Diego Senate report found a roughly 30‑fold rise from 2020 to 2025 in incoming students whose math skills fell below high‑school level, with 70% of that group below middle‑school level.
  • Legal constraints complicate any shift because a prior court order barred UC from using tests and the current status of that injunction is unclear, so the regents retain final authority.
  • If the Academic Senate recommends reinstating tests, the Board of Regents would have to approve the change and any new requirement could not take effect before the fall 2028 admissions cycle.