UC San Diego Faces Rising Number of Unprepared freshmen
UC San Diego is grappling with a significant increase in the number of incoming freshmen requiring remedial math courses. A recent campus report, issued November 6th, revealed that 665 students – 8.5% of the fall 2023 freshman class – were placed in Math 2, a course designed for students not prepared for precalculus. This marks a dramatic rise from five years ago, when only 32 students (0.5% of the class) needed the course.
The report highlighted concerning gaps in basic math skills, citing instances of students struggling with simple addition and rounding numbers. These difficulties extend beyond mathematics; the report also noted challenges with language and writing among the incoming class.
Several factors are believed to have contributed to this trend, including the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the elimination of standardized testing requirements, grade inflation in high schools, and an expansion of admissions to include more students from under-resourced schools. The report states these factors have resulted in a freshman class “increasingly unprepared for the quantitative and analytical rigor expected at UC San diego.”
This issue isn’t isolated to UCSD, with similar problems reported at other University of California campuses and across the nation. However, UCSD expressed concern that admitting students lacking foundational skills could be detrimental. The report warns that it “risks harming the vrey students we hope to support, by setting them up for failure,” and places a strain on faculty resources dedicated to maintaining rigorous academic standards.
The situation is particularly challenging given UCSD’s rapid growth.Since 2012, enrollment has increased by approximately 16,000 students, reaching a total of around 45,000. The university’s strong focus on science,technology,mathematics,and medicine – including an engineering school with over 10,000 students – further amplifies the demand for strong math skills.
UCSD has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure, including dorms, labs, and classrooms, to accommodate a record number of admitted California residents – exceeding 100,000 for the fall 2023 term.
To address the issue, the report recommends improving the identification of students who will likely need remedial math support. Proposed solutions include utilizing historical placement data and analyzing student transcripts, specifically coursework, grades, and high school attended.
The university has acknowledged the concerns raised by faculty and is currently reviewing the report’s recommendations through various Senate and administrative groups to determine the best course of action. UCSD stated that faculty “identified a new and concerning trend and spoke up,” leading to the report’s creation and public release for further discussion.