An internal faculty working group at the University of California, San Diego reported a sharp deterioration in incoming students’ math and writing skills, finding that nearly 12% of the fall 2025 first-year class placed below middle-school math levels. The faculty group warned that the surge in remediation is straining departmental resources and risks harming underprepared students. The report ties the decline to pandemic-era learning losses, grade inflation and admissions shifts that increased enrollment from under-resourced high schools. UC San Diego has added remedial courses and redesigned supports, but faculty and administrators say the scale of the problem—remedial enrollment jumping to the hundreds—requires rethinking admissions assessments, placement and academic support at selective publics.