Nearly 1 in 5 U. California freshmen are failing introductory math– www.thecollegefix.com

Percentage has doubled since 2020-21

Nearly one in five freshmen at the University of California are flunking introductory math classes amid widespread calls from faculty to reinstate standardized testing requirements for admissions.

About 18 percent of students either withdrew or received a D or F grade during the 2025-26 school year. This share has nearly doubled from 2020-21, “the last year that the SAT and ACT were required for first-year admission,” according to EdSource.

Further, UC students averaged a GPA of 2.7 in introductory math classes in 2025-26. Students averaged a 3.18 in 2020-21.

However, “Failure rates vary widely across UC’s nine undergraduate campuses, skyrocketing at some while remaining mostly flat at others,” according to EdSource.

UC Merced showed the highest failure or withdrawal rate at 36 percent, while UC Santa Barbara recorded the lowest, at just 8.2 percent.

In response to the new data, a Republican state leader told The New York Post that “California can’t grade their way out of an education crisis.”