Office of Academic Compliance
Academic compliance refers to policies, procedures, and practices in place to ensure that actions regarding degree and certificate programs – from the content of the offerings, to how and where they are delivered – adhere to institutional, state, accreditation, and federal requirements and standards.

Quantitative Reasoning

A Competency Assessment Report of Undergraduate Students at the University of Virginia

Executive Summary

In 2024, as required by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), Institutional Research and Analytics (IRA), a unit of the Office of the Provost at the University of Virginia (UVA), conducted an institution-wide assessment of undergraduate competency in quantitative reasoning.  This assessment involved a similar instrument designed for previous quantitative reasoning assessments in 2007-2008 and 2013-2014. Designed to assess fourth-year students’ competence in general mathematics, statistical reasoning, and calculus/trigonometry, the test was composed of 25 items. A representative sample of fourth-year students from seven undergraduate schools consented to take the test. 

Overall, graduating fourth-year students met the standards for competency set by the University Undergraduate Quantitative Reasoning Competency Assessment Committee. Results indicated that 29% of participants demonstrated high competence, 75% demonstrated competence, and 93% demonstrated at least minimal competence. While the overall targets were met, competence varied by Pell status, race, generation status, enrollment type, gender and STEM status. Programmatic results were shared with each participating program to supplement their disciplinary application and assessment of quantitative reasoning.    

Committee members were encouraged by the results considering the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruption to education. They expressed concern that particular populations underperformed. The university is actively engaged in two large-scale grants with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to improve student outcomes and experiences so that undergraduate students from all backgrounds, particularly those who belong to historically excluded groups, will excel in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Through these grant projects, many students are benefitting from enhancements to the foundational coursework developing Quantitative Reasoning skills.