UC to consider reinstating SAT, ACT tests after faculty say students are deficient in math
Key takeaways
- The move, announced by the UC-wide Academic Senate’s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, comes amid mounting pressure from UC faculty and outside activists over the test-free approach.
- Then last March, the UC-wide Academic Senate launched a process to further study the admissions process, including high school course requirements.
- The decision to revisit standardized testing ultimately rests with the UC Board of Regents.
Students walk on the UCLA campus in Westwood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) By Jaweed Kaleem Staff Writer Follow June 11, 2026 10 AM PT 8 8 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Six years after dropping SAT and ACT test requirements, members of an influential University of California admissions board said Thursday that the group will reconsider requiring the standardized tests, a major move favored by faculty who have complained that many students are severely deficient in math.
The potential reversal thrusts the nation’s most prestigious public university system back into a contentious national debate over standardized testing, fairness and college readiness, and follows a wave of elite campuses — including Yale and Caltech — that have already brought the assessments back.