The University of California is considering bringing back SAT and ACT requirements for students entering in fall 2028, six years after moving away from standardized testing in admissions.
The UC Academic Senate announced June 11 that it will form an evaluation committee to examine whether SAT and ACT scores should once again be considered in undergraduate admissions.
The final decision will be made by the UC Board of Regents. If standardized testing requirements are reinstated, students applying for admission in fall 2028 could once again be required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
The review comes amid growing concern among faculty members about the academic preparedness of UC students, particularly in mathematics.
The Los Angeles Times reported June 11 that more than 1,400 UC professors signed an open letter last month urging the university to restore standardized testing requirements.
Faculty members said the math preparation of some incoming students has declined so significantly that instructors are being forced to reteach material normally covered in middle school.
UC San Diego also reported that the number of incoming students whose math skills fell below the high school level increased nearly 30-fold between 2020 and 2025.
At UC Berkeley, a substantial number of students enrolled in calculus courses also showed insufficient proficiency on math diagnostic exams.
UC suspended its SAT and ACT submission requirement in 2020 amid concerns that standardized tests could disadvantage low-income students and students of color. The university fully eliminated the tests from its admissions process in 2025.
Even at the time, however, some UC faculty members opposed the decision, arguing that test scores were useful in predicting first-year college grades and graduation rates.
Opposition to restoring the tests remains strong.
Some researchers argue that high school GPA is a better predictor of college performance than SAT scores. They also warn that greater reliance on standardized testing could disadvantage low-income students, first-generation college applicants and students from minority backgrounds.
Over the next year, UC plans to evaluate not only the possible return of the SAT and ACT but also whether scores from California’s 11th-grade statewide academic assessment could be used in admissions.
