Full Breakdown
UC Test-Blind Admissions Linked to Sharp Drop in Math Readiness, Faculty Warn
8/17/2026, 2:40:20 AM
Test-Blind Admissions and Declining Math Readiness
Berkeley mathematics professor Zvezdelina Stankova says the University of California system’s “test-blind” admissions policy has left many incoming students far behind in mathematics. He observes that, within weeks of a semester’s start, large lecture sections contain learners who are “five to eight years behind” and require basic algebra review instead of advanced calculus material.
Policy Background
The UC system phased out the SAT and ACT in 2020 under former president Janet Napolitano, citing equity concerns. Since then, admissions officers have been prohibited from using the standardized tests that previously offered a common academic benchmark across California’s thousands of high schools.
Readiness Data
Stankova presented diagnostic results showing a steep decline in preparedness. From 2018-2020, 71 % of roughly 2,200 tested Calculus I students were deemed ready or nearly ready, with only 0.14 % below basic algebra. By contrast, among about 2,800 students tested from 2021-2023, only 51 % were ready or nearly ready, falling to 44 % in 2023, and 17 % answered none of eight topics correctly.
Official Response
University of California President James B.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Since then, admissions officers have been forbidden from considering the one standardized measure that provided a common academic benchmark across California’s thousands of high schools,” — Zvezdelina Stankova, professor
- “Those of us teaching such courses don’t experience the consequences as abstractions. We watch students struggle through material they were expected to master years earlier. We pause lectures to reteach linear equations instead of expanding students’ understanding of differential equations,” — Zvezdelina Stankova, professor
