Universities across the United States and other developed countries are admitting increasing numbers of students who lack basic reading and mathematics skills, raising concerns about falling academic standards and the future quality of higher education.

According to The Economist, more than 1,800 mathematics and science lecturers across the University of California system have warned that many first-year students arrive without the knowledge needed to succeed in university-level courses. At the University of California, Berkeley, academics say that around 20 to 30 percent of students enrolled in introductory calculus courses have serious gaps in their mathematical preparation, forcing lecturers to reteach concepts normally covered in middle school.

The concerns follow a report from the University of California, San Diego, which found that the number of first-year students entering university with mathematics skills below high school level has increased nearly thirtyfold over the past five years. Nearly one in eight students required remedial support, while around 70 percent of those students performed below the level expected of a 14-year-old.

The problem extends beyond mathematics. The Economist reports that university lecturers across the US increasingly complain that students struggle to read lengthy or complex texts. At Harvard University, faculty members have noted that many students now have shorter attention spans and less experience engaging with demanding reading materials than students did a decade ago.

Although complaints about student preparedness are nothing new, international data suggest that the issue has become more widespread. The Survey of Adult Skills, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), found that a significant share of university and college students in wealthy countries possess literacy and numeracy skills comparable to those expected of primary school children.

According to data, around 8 percent of tertiary students across developed countries scored at the lowest level in both literacy and numeracy. The proportion of students with very weak literacy skills has more than doubled since the previous survey, conducted more than a decade earlier.

Performance varies considerably between countries. Estonia recorded some of the strongest results, while Poland and Chile reported much larger shares of low-performing students. The United Kingdom performed above the OECD average and has shown improvement. By contrast, the United States recorded some of the weakest outcomes, with roughly one in seven university students demonstrating literacy skills at or below primary school level and nearly one in five performing similarly in numeracy.

Experts believe several factors have contributed to the decline. According to The Economist, learning losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic played a significant role, as prolonged school closures and disrupted classroom learning left many students academically behind. However, the downward trend had already begun before the pandemic in several countries.

The report also highlights other possible causes, including declining reading habits, increased screen time, immigration-related educational challenges, curriculum changes that place less emphasis on core knowledge, and reduced academic accountability in schools.

University admissions policies have also come under scrutiny. In the United States, many institutions dropped standardised entrance examinations such as the SAT and ACT during the pandemic and never reinstated them. According to The Economist, critics argue that without these tests universities rely more heavily on high school grades and application essays, both of which have become less reliable indicators of academic ability. Grade inflation in schools, combined with the widespread use of artificial intelligence to produce application essays, has further complicated admissions decisions.

Academics also warn that universities themselves are lowering academic standards after students enrol. According to The Economist, concerns about grade inflation have grown in both the US and the UK. In Britain, around 30 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates received first-class honours in 2025, compared with just 7 percent in 1995. At Yale University, nearly four out of five grades awarded during the 2022-23 academic year were either A or A-minus.

Faculty members say growing pressure from students, concerns about poor course evaluations, and institutional emphasis on student wellbeing have made lecturers less willing to award lower grades. Some universities have also adopted alternative assessment methods, such as contract-based grading, which critics argue further weaken academic standards.

Artificial intelligence has added another challenge. The Economist reports that AI tools such as ChatGPT are increasingly being used to complete coursework. A recent survey in the UK found that 94 percent of university students used AI while completing assessed work, while 12 percent admitted submitting AI-generated text directly.

Research from the United States suggests AI-assisted cheating is also becoming more common. A study cited by The Economist found that approximately two-thirds of students at public universities used AI during the 2023-24 academic year, with about 9 percent admitting to using it dishonestly. Another study found that top grades have risen sharply in subjects where AI performs particularly well, including writing and computer programming.

Many universities are bringing back supervised, in-person examinations to reduce AI-assisted cheating. However, such assessments require additional staff, facilities and resources, making implementation difficult.

Perhaps the greatest concern is that some academics are beginning to accept declining standards as inevitable, arguing that students may no longer need strong reading, writing or mathematical skills because AI can perform many of those tasks. The publication warns that treating artificial intelligence as a substitute for fundamental knowledge risks undermining the purpose of higher education itself.