Professors at major universities say incoming students are arriving unable to complete assigned reading at expected levels, prompting calls to adjust pedagogy rather than relying on unchanged college expectations. In reporting tied to Pepperdine University, faculty described students who can’t even read single sentences consistently, shifting instructors toward approaches like reading passages aloud and returning to texts line by line. The issue is framed as a measurable reading decline in the broader U.S. population. The resulting classroom adaptations could affect assignment design, assessment, and expectations for critical reading—especially in humanities and “great books” style courses that depend on prior preparation.