Having taught and done research in higher education for the past 34 years, I can attest to the fact that the math (and writing) skills of a large number of entering students are tanking.
When COVID hit, this opened the door at many universities for removal of the standardized test scores for entry (not only for undergrad students but also for graduate students). At exactly the same time a lot of universities started chanting the mantra of "RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, GRADUATION". What this really is about is $. The more students that you can recruit, retain, and graduate, the more money the colleges and university receive from the Fed and State. So they're not ready...bring'm on anyway and keep them here as long as possible.
Again, I've been at this for 34 years and while the good ones are still good, probably 60-70% are generally not adequately prepared in both math and writing skills. It is a different game today than when I started and I'm really happy that I'm closing in on retirement in the next couple of years. A large part of higher education has become a dumpster fire; however, the major culprit in all this is K-12. They are NOT doing their job and then handing off the broken product to higher ed. Talk to a lot of business owners. The primary characteristics they are looking for in a new employee, and having difficulty finding, are:
1. don't do drugs
2. show up for work on time
3. stay off their phones while at work
4. actually work
They are not concerned about your college degree because for the most part they are not worth the paper they are written on.
