Rutgers students pay $1,500 for remedial math after earning A's
A new study shows many incoming freshmen at New Jersey's flagship university lack basic math skills despite high report card grades.
By James Mitchell ·
$1,500. That is the extra cost some parents pay when their college freshman needs remedial math classes. A study released last month by the nonprofit Collaborative for Student Success found that many incoming students at Rutgers-New Brunswick arrive with math skills equivalent to fifth or seventh grade level. These students require additional coursework to reach college-level proficiency.
The study reveals a disconnect between report card grades and actual ability. Students who entered with significant skill gaps had earned A's in middle and high school math. The cost of remediation is paid by families and taxpayers. The findings apply to New Jersey's flagship state university. The data indicates that grades alone do not reflect mathematical competence.
Math proficiency in New Jersey has been low for years. From 2016 to 2019, fewer than 45% of students tested proficient in math. At least 60 of the state's 560 school districts had fewer than 25% of students on grade level. Despite these scores, many students received A's, B's, and diplomas. One tutor at Edna Mahan women's prison in Clinton, New Jersey, noted that adult students with high school diplomas or GEDs often needed a refresher course in fifth through seventh grade math.
The issue extends beyond New Jersey. The University of California, San Diego, reported a 30-fold increase in freshmen needing basic math classes between 2020 and 2025. Leadership at UC San Diego dropped the requirement for SAT or ACT scores. This decision shifted admissions reliance to report card grades rather than standardized tests. The change exposed the gap between perceived and actual proficiency.
Current data shows 54% of New Jersey fourth graders are behind grade level in math. Statewide performance is lower than it was a decade ago. A student who falls behind has a 3% chance of reaching grade-level skills later. The problem begins in elementary school. It does not appear suddenly when students apply for college at age 17. Students who fall behind continue to struggle in subsequent years.
Wake Up Call NJ, an organization co-founded 15 years ago to improve math education, has long tracked these shortfalls. The group argues that grades often reflect effort and classroom behavior rather than mastery. The organization advocates for transparency in student performance. It calls for better alignment between school assessments and college readiness.
The Collaborative for Student Success study joins other recent data points. State test results, National Assessment of Educational Progress scores, and the Education Scorecard from Harvard and Stanford all show similar trends. These metrics indicate that a large portion of students do not meet academic standards. The Rutgers study provides concrete evidence of the financial impact on incoming freshmen.
