Nearly 1 in 5 California freshmen fail introductory math, rates vary by UC campus

Nearly 20% of University of California freshmen either withdrew or received a D or F in introductory math courses during the 2025-26 academic year, according to EdSource data reported by zerohedge.com. This failure rate has almost doubled since the 2020-21 school year, the last year when SAT and ACT tests were required for UC admissions.

The average GPA for UC students in these math classes dropped from 3.18 in 2020-21 to 2.7 in 2025-26. However, failure and withdrawal rates vary widely across the UC system's nine undergraduate campuses. UC Merced recorded the highest rate at 36%, while UC Santa Barbara had the lowest at 8.2%.

The rising failure rates have prompted over 3,000 California faculty members to call for the reinstatement of standardized testing in admissions. Some state leaders and educators argue that dropping the SAT and ACT has allowed many students to enter UC campuses unprepared for college-level math.

UC Davis math professor Joel Hass noted a growing divide between highly qualified students and those unprepared for college, suggesting some students might benefit from starting at community colleges before transferring to UCs.