The University of California Board of Regents is preparing to vote next week on whether to reinstate the SAT and ACT as part of the system’s undergraduate admissions process. The debate has drawn significant attention, including commentary from outside California, as it touches on broader questions about academic standards, equity, and the mission of public higher education.

The controversy centers on concerns raised by many UC faculty, especially within math departments, who argue that the current test-optional policy has resulted in the admission of students insufficiently prepared for rigorous coursework. Over 3,000 UC faculty members signed an open letter demanding the return of standardized testing, asserting that a growing number of students lack the necessary academic skills, particularly in mathematics. The letter suggests that admissions under the current system allow candidates through with inflated grades or with the help of artificial intelligence tools, straining faculty resources and potentially diminishing the universities’ academic reputations.

However, not all faculty members agree with this viewpoint. Björn Birnir, chair of the mathematics department at UC Santa Barbara and one of only two math chairs who declined to sign the letter, advocates for alternative solutions. UCSB addresses preparedness gaps by directing underprepared students to community colleges for summer courses before they begin their UC studies. Birnir contends that reinstating standardized testing is neither an effective nor equitable solution to such challenges.

The test-optional policy was adopted in a 2020 decision by the regents, aiming to counteract long-standing concerns that SAT and ACT scores disproportionately disadvantage underrepresented students, including those from Latinx backgrounds, who make up over 40% of California’s population. A UC task force that reviewed the issue found standardized tests to be predictive of college success, capable of identifying promising students with otherwise average applications. Yet the same report recommended developing a new exam tailored to the UC system by 2025, one that would measure attributes such as persistence and resilience beyond traditional academic skills.

However, this alternative test initiative stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and funding constraints, softening momentum for standardized assessments reform at UC. Some experts, like UCLA professor Li Cai—a member of the task force—have shifted their stance. While he now supports reintroducing standardized testing given the “failed” nature of a test-blind admissions experiment, Cai remains committed to the concept of a UC-designed exam that would be more accessible, free, and adaptive to student progress.

Proponents of the SAT and ACT emphasize finite university resources and argue that admitting students with significant preparation gaps limits UC’s ability to serve all admitted students effectively. Critics counter that reinstating these tests risks undermining diversity and limiting access for students from historically marginalized communities, contradicting the public university system’s mission to serve California’s increasingly diverse population.

As California’s public universities continue to receive record numbers of applications—UC Berkeley alone attracted 133,000 first-year applicants in 2026—the regents face a complex challenge. The decision will weigh the benefits of standardized testing against efforts to broaden access and accommodate students still recovering from pandemic-related educational disruptions. The debate underscores ongoing tensions between maintaining academic rigor and fostering inclusive pathways to higher education in the state.