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A shocking portion of colleges no longer require SAT or ACT tests — and profs are begging them to reverse course

Nypost · · 537 words · By Alex Oliveira
Standardized Testing Utility Higher education policy Academic Standards Decline
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A shocking portion of colleges no longer require SAT or ACT tests — and profs are begging them to reverse course See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Center coverage
Left50%
Center0%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A shocking portion of colleges no longer require SAT or ACT tests — and profs are begging them to reverse course See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleMore than 90% of four-year universities do not require incoming students to submit SAT or ACT standardized test scores after pandemic-era rollbacks in the name of “fairness.” But now professors at some of the nation’s top…

Common ground

One report from the University of California-San Diego shows the portion of incoming freshmen who needed to be taught math from middle school, and even elementary school, when they arrive surged from 0.5% in 2020 to 8.5% in 2025, the Wall Street Journal…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/02/us-news/a-shocking-portion-of-colleges-dont-requir…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 95% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
report Misleading 1
verified Verified 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
report
Claim 1: “the College Board reporting that barely 60 schools nationwide require students to submit either its SAT test or the ACT on applications”
MISLEADING
The evidence shows that approximately 60 colleges 'provided College Board with data' for a study, not that only 60 schools nationwide require the tests. The claim misrepresents the sample size of a study as the total number of requiring schools.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Board of Peace (BoP), or the Peace Board, is an international organization with the stated purpose of promoting peacebuilding around the world. Established by President Donald Trump and led by th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Peace
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Route 60 (US 60) is a major U.S. Highway in the American state of Kentucky. In the early days of the U.S. Highway System, US 60 was originally to be numbered as US 62. Following extensive lobbyin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_60_in_Kentucky
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidentia…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Electoral_Colleg…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 2: “The situation has come to a head in the University of California school system — which dropped SAT/ACT requirements in 2020.”
VERIFIED
Multiple sources, including a direct report of the UC Board of Regents' decision in May 2020 and a WSJ article, confirm the UC system abolished SAT/ACT requirements in 2020.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in the Southside and Northside neighborhoods of Berkeley, California, Unit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California,_Berk…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The SAT ( , ess-ay-TEE) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times. For much of its histor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, the system is composed of its ten campuses at Berkeley, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “More than 90% of four-year universities do not require incoming students to submit SAT or ACT standardized test scores”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While web results confirm that over 1,900 four-year institutions are test-optional, there is no specific data provided in the evidence to calculate if this represents 'more than 90%' of all four-year universities in the US.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The SAT ( , ess-ay-TEE) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times. For much of its histor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — SAT Subject Tests were a set of multiple-choice standardized tests given by The College Board on individual topics, typically taken to improve a student's credentials for college admissions in the Uni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT_Subject_Tests
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The ACT ( , AY-see-tee; originally an abbreviation of American College Testing) is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It is administered by ACT, Inc., a for-profit …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_(test)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “One report from the University of California-San Diego shows the portion of incoming freshmen who needed to be taught math from middle school, and even elementary school, when they arrive surged from 0.5% in 2020 to 8.5% in 2025”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources report a UC San Diego study showing a surge in freshmen failing to meet middle school math standards, specifically citing a thirty-fold increase from 2020 to 2025 (0.5% to 8.5% is a 17x increase, but the '1 in 8' or 12.5% figure is also mentioned; however, the general trend and the 2020-2025 timeframe are corroborated across multiple reports).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — San Diego ( SAN dee-AY-goh; Spanish: [san ˈdjeɣo]) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UC San Diego Health is the public hospital system of the University of California, San Diego in San Diego, California. It is part of the larger umbrella UC San Diego Health Sciences, which also includ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC_San_Diego_Health
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The UC San Diego Tritons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of California, San Diego. The Tritons compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big West Conference (B…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC_San_Diego_Tritons
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 5: “About 1,200 professors across math and science departments have signed a letter requesting scores be reinstated”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'approximately'. No actual report or news source confirming the 1,200 professors' letter was provided in the evidence block, although a separate result mentions 'More than 900 UC faculty members' wanting tests back.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 23, 2026 · The meaning of APPROXIMATELY is in an approximate manner —used to indicate that a stated number, amount, or value is an approximation. How to use approximately in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approximately
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Get a quick, free translation! APPROXIMATELY definition: 1. close to a particular number or time although not exactly that number or time: 2. close to a…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/approxim…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Copy and paste the approximately symbol (≈), which is used to indicate that something is nearly equal to something else.
https://symbolsdb.com/approximately-symbol
info
Claim 6: “The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dartmouth College both dropped test requirements in 2020, but MIT brought it back by 2022 and Dartmouth by 2024.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for MIT and Dartmouth consists of general Wikipedia descriptions of the campuses and no information regarding their specific SAT/ACT policy changes or reinstatement dates.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Engineering remains its largest school, though MIT has also developed prominent programs in basic science, economics, management, architecture, and humanities. MIT has an urban campus that extends mor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Tec…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — They were named in honor of MIT president Richard C. Maclaurin, who was instrumental in organizing MIT's move from Boston to "The New Technology" campus in Cambridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_of_the_Massachusetts_In…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — MIT’s vital research and education — on topics such as human health, energy innovation, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing — continue to advance national security, economic competitiveness,…
https://web.mit.edu/
info
Claim 7: “And about 70% of those 900 even struggled to do middle school-level math.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Three independent web sources explicitly state that 70% of the students who lacked high-school math skills also struggled with or fell below middle school levels.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 5, 2026 · 70% of those students fell below middle school levels 😧. one in eight freshmen lack even rudimentary high-school math competencies, such as ...
https://www.facebook.com/maanews/posts/a-recent-ucsd-report-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 26, 2025 · In 2020, about 30 incoming freshmen at the school had math skills below high ... 70% not fully meeting middle-school math standards.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vanpappas_math-meltdown-a-rec…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nov 19, 2025 · Five years ago, about 30 incoming freshmen at UC San Diego arrived with math skills below high-school level. Now, according to a recent report ...
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/math-decline-ucsd/…
help
Claim 8: “At Yale, 90% of applicants submitted test scores — even before the requirement kicked in.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
help
Claim 9: “Yale University also dropped SAT/ACT requirements during the pandemic, but just last week reinstated them.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
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Claim 10: “The UC-San Diego report from last November... found that about 900 incoming freshmen were unable to do high school-level math — up from just 30 with the same problem in 2020.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the UC San Diego report found that about 900 (or '1 in 8') incoming freshmen lacked high-school level math skills, compared to approximately 30 students in 2020.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A recent study at UC San Diego showed that 1 in 8 incoming Freshman placed below high school level math, up thirty-fold from 2020. Of those students, 70% placed at or below middle school math levels. …
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mark-meegan-858865281_uc-san-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Incoming freshmen at UC San Diego also lack appropriate math skills, according to the report.The National Assessment of Education Progress reported 8th-grade students are at a full year’s deficiency i…
https://readlion.com/college-students-fail-basic-math-englis…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A recent UC San Diego report finds that 1 in 8 incoming freshmen do not meet middle school math standards. From 2020-25, the number of UCSD students who were performing below middle school level incre…
https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/11/17/uc-san-diego-fi…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.