Thanks to the Woke Math Movement, Some Freshmen at UCSD Can’t Do Grade-Level Math
17th November 2025
A new report from the University of California, San Diego has ignited a viral conversation on social media, because it demonstrates the alarming lack of preparation among incoming freshmen for college-level math courses.
Produced by UCSD’s Senate-Administration Working Group on Admissions, the report found the university “has experienced a steep decline in the academic preparation of its entering first-year students—particularly in mathematics.”
The UCSD employs a testing and placement system to assign incoming freshmen to the appropriate mathematics course based on their backgrounds. This process ensures that students meet the requirements for their chosen majors. In 2016, the placement test identified fewer than 100 students—approximately 1% of the incoming cohort—who needed to take a remedial math class to address gaps in their high school math knowledge.