Students are facing a world driven by data, technology, and algorithms. Is their education preparing them to succeed and thrive in this world? Or are too many held back by an outsize emphasis on high school calculus?

‍The Limits of Calculus: Revisiting the Role of Math Education in College Admissions, a new report from Just Equations in collaboration with the National Association for College Admission Counseling, shows a recognition of data science and statistics courses as necessary and valuable for student success in our tech-heavy and data-driven world. Yet calculus remains the gold standard for college admissions officers, despite significant and persistent opportunity gaps for underserved students.

In a new survey, an overwhelming 94 percent of college admissions officers agreed with the statement that statistics—which is often taken instead of calculus during students’ senior year—is valuable for a wide range of college degree programs. Yet almost the same number of respondents—89 percent—agreed that students who take calculus in high school are more likely to succeed in college.

And, while fewer than 5 percent of colleges, primarily STEM-focused institutions, require incoming students to have taken calculus, nearly half of college admissions officers say that not taking calculus limits students’ options for college. This prioritization of calculus has made it hard for the adoption of other rigorous courses, such as data science and statistics, to get traction.

There’s also a notable difference in the perceptions between admissions officers at private and public institutions. Ninety-two percent of respondents from private institutions, but only 83 percent from public institutions, agreed with the statement that “students who have taken high school calculus are more likely to succeed in college.”

This continued emphasis on calculus, despite the increasing importance of data skills and statistical fluency in the professional world, disproportionately denies opportunities for success in STEM for students of color and low-income students who are less likely than their peers to have access to high school calculus. 

“Calculus may exercise disproportionate sway over college admissions decisions. At the same time, admissions offices can exert unintended influence over the math courses students take in high school,” said Just Equations Executive Director Pamela Burdman. “Examining, and ultimately refining, this relationship is a goal of this report.”