【UC System Update】600+ Professors Sign Petition Urging UC to Require SAT/ACT Math Scores from STEM Applicants

This took place on May 27, the same day Yale reinstated its testing requirement. More than 600 professors across the University of California (UC) system signed a joint letter urging the UC Board of Regents, the Office of the UC Provost, and the Academic Senate to require STEM applicants to submit SAT or ACT math scores starting with the 2027–28 application cycle. Signatories include multiple professors such as Mario Bonk, acting chair of the UCLA Mathematics Department. UC is currently one of the very few large research universities in the U.S. that is fully test-blind. Not test-optional, but completely unwilling to look at or accept standardized test scores for admissions decisions. This joint letter is a direct challenge from the faculty community to that policy.

Why Are the Professors Signing On?

The letter cites an internal report released by UC San Diego in November 2025: over the past five years, the number of students entering the UC system with math skills below the high school level has increased nearly thirtyfold. This isn't an impression. It's the reality professors face in their classrooms every day. The letter puts it bluntly: in an era of grade inflation and widespread use of AI tools, GPA and application essays can no longer reliably assess whether a student is prepared for college-level STEM coursework. Another line in the letter is worth reading carefully: "Papering over preparation gaps doesn't remove the barrier. It moves the barrier into the classroom, where it becomes much harder to overcome."

What Does This Mean for Students Applying to UC?

For now, none of this means any mandatory changes. The letter is a petition, not a policy. UC has yet to issue a formal response, and nothing has changed at the policy level. But there are several things worth paying attention to early.

1. The petition targets the 2027–28 application cycle, which means that students currently in 9th grade could be applying to UC under a changed policy by the time their cycle arrives. That timeline is not far off.

2. Even if UC's test-blind policy doesn't shift in the short term, the underlying trend behind this letter is clear: Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, and now Yale have all reinstated testing requirements. The dominoes at top schools are already falling. As the last major test-blind stronghold, UC will continue to feel mounting pressure.

3. Standardized test scores can still be used for course placement within the UC system. Many students discover after enrolling at UC that without strong test scores, they are placed directly into remedial math, which is a real setback for those pursuing STEM.

   
   

Han Education's Advice for Families Currently Planning

Whichever way UC's policy ultimately goes, the time and effort spent preparing for the SAT/ACT math sections will not be wasted. Those scores remain hard currency for applications to other schools, and they may well become a requirement for UC within two years. When it comes to standardized testing, waiting for the policy to land before preparing always costs more than preparing in advance.

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