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Finance & Markets · North America

UC freshmen’s introductory math failure rate rises to 17.8%

University of California data show that 17.8% of freshmen taking introductory math failed to pass in 2025-26, compared with 9.2% in 2020-21. Republican candidate for California state superintendent Sonja Shaw blamed the end of SAT and ACT admission requirements for students arriving unprepared.

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What happened

Key facts

  • In 2025-26, 17.8% of University of California freshmen taking introductory math failed to pass, compared with 9.2% in 2020-21 (per New York Post).
  • The reported introductory math courses range from calculus and precalculus to preparatory algebra and trigonometry (per New York Post).
  • The introductory math failure rate rose to 13% in 2021-22, then fell to 12.6% the following academic year (per New York Post).
  • The rate reached 15.3% in 2023-24, eased to 14.9% in 2024-25 and climbed to 17.8% in 2025-26 (per New York Post).
  • Republican candidate for California state superintendent Sonja Shaw said ending the tests had allowed too many students to arrive unprepared for introductory math (per New York Post).
  • The New York Post reported that more than 1,400 University of California faculty, mostly in STEM, were urging the system to restore SAT or ACT requirements for applicants to science, math, technology and engineering programs (per New York Post).
  • The New York Post reported that 49.3% of California students met or exceeded state English language arts standards in 2025-26, while 38.4% achieved proficiency in math (per New York Post).

The brief

University of California data show that 17.8% of freshmen taking introductory math failed to pass in the 2025-26 academic year. The New York Post reported that this was up from 9.2% in 2020-21, the last academic year when SAT and ACT scores were required for freshman admission. The reported courses range from calculus and precalculus to preparatory algebra and trigonometry.

The rate did not rise steadily year by year. It reached 13% in 2021-22, then dipped to 12.6% the next academic year. It climbed to 15.3% in 2023-24, eased to 14.9% in 2024-25 and then reached 17.8% in 2025-26. The New York Post describes students who fail to pass as including those who earn a failing grade, withdraw or otherwise do not pass.

Republican candidate for California state superintendent Sonja Shaw attributed the increase to the end of admission testing, saying it allowed too many students to begin introductory math unprepared. That is Shaw’s explanation for the change; the New York Post’s account does not provide evidence establishing that the admissions policy caused the rising rate.

The New York Post also reported a call to restore testing requirements. More than 1,400 University of California faculty, mostly in STEM, are urging the system to require SAT or ACT scores again for applicants to science, math, technology and engineering programs. The faculty members cite what they describe as “severe” math deficits among incoming students.

The account places the university figures alongside California school achievement results: in 2025-26, 49.3% of students met or exceeded state English language arts standards, while 38.4% achieved proficiency in math. Those figures describe statewide school results, not the University of California freshmen’s introductory course outcomes.

The figures frame a dispute over admissions and student preparation: Shaw links the end of testing to incoming students’ readiness, while the faculty call focuses on reinstating scores for applicants to specified fields. The university system’s reported course failure rate rose to its stated 2025-26 level after fluctuating across the preceding academic years.

Why it matters

  • University of California freshmen taking introductory math face a 17.8% failure-to-pass rate, up from 9.2% in 2020-21.
  • The figures cover courses from calculus and precalculus through preparatory algebra and trigonometry, indicating the reported rate spans multiple levels of introductory math.
  • The admissions debate has a specific proposed mechanism: more than 1,400 faculty are urging the University of California to restore SAT or ACT requirements for applicants to science, math, technology and engineering programs.

What to watch next

  • Whether the University of California acts on the call by more than 1,400 faculty to restore SAT or ACT requirements for applicants to science, math, technology and engineering programs.
  • Whether the introductory math failure rate changes from its reported 17.8% level in 2025-26.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
2 source articles · 2 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Right · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Unknown 50%
Outlet political mix
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Center
Right
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0 outlets
1 outlet
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Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
2 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Limited coverage
  • Coverage is currently limited to 2 outlets.
How we measure coverage

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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The University of California adopted the SAT as an admissions requirement.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. In March 2020, the College Board canceled SAT administrations as COVID-19 spread, and ACT also canceled test dates.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. A state court barred UC from using SAT or ACT scores for applicants unable to access the exams.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. In November 2021, UC announced that it would not use SAT or ACT scores in admissions or scholarships, while exploring a replacement assessment; the system subsequently retained the test-free policy.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

The immediate backdrop to UC’s debate over math preparation was its 2020 decision to remove SAT and ACT scores from undergraduate admissions. On May 21, 2020, the University of California Board of Regents suspended the tests for applicants seeking admission in fall 2021, citing the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; on May test?

In May 2020, UC initially adopted a test-optional policy for two years, then moved toward a test-free approach after a state court ruling in September 2020 barred the system from using the exams for applicants who could not access them. In November 2021, UC announced that it would not use SAT or ACT scores in admissions or scholarships, while exploring a replacement assessment; the system subsequently retained the test-free policy. In March 2020, the College Board canceled SAT administrations as COVID-19 spread, and ACT also canceled test dates. California’s public-university admissions framework had long included standardized exams: UC adopted the SAT as an admissions requirement in 1968, and the Regents approved a redesigned SAT requirement in 2001 after a systemwide review of admissions testing. Separately, California’s 2017 AB 705 required community colleges to use high-school records and coursework to place students into transfer-level math and English, rather than relying primarily on placement tests.

Original sources

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