Lead: UC San Diego’s Senate–Administration working group warned that a rising share of incoming first‑year students require remedial math, with 11.8% of the fall 2025 cohort placed into courses below a middle‑school level — a near 30‑fold increase compared with 2020. The committee tied the deterioration to pandemic-related learning loss, elimination of standardized tests, grade inflation and expanded enrollment from under‑resourced high schools. UC San Diego reported 921 students enrolled in newly redesigned remedial offerings in fall 2025 after revamping courses to address middle- and high-school gaps. Systemwide, other University of California campuses have seen increases in remediation, though San Diego’s rise is especially pronounced due to its recent admissions patterns. Admissions teams, remedial-program directors and general-education planners must now consider targeted bridge programs, diagnostic assessments and strengthened K–12 partnerships. The trend also raises questions for faculty about course design, advising loads and the resources needed to support students who arrive underprepared for college-level quantitative work.