I am a double STEM major, microbiology and chemical engineering. For the microbiology, algebra only was adequate although a watered down non-calculas physics was substituted for straight physics.
For chemical engineering, a sophomore categorized intro to ChE was used as a major weed out class. You had to have 25 ACT score (the general engineering college requirement) to even enroll in the intro class. Seventy people at the start of the class and 17 survivors at the end. BTW, a 27 ACT was required for entry to the ChE program, which is was all JR/SR level.
The only STEM major likely available to non-calculas folks will be the biological sciences at the BS level and some aspects of MS specialties. For the calculus areas, most all students would fail along the way if they tried to get by with only the HS level maths when they get started with the harder maths starting in the sophomore year.
I have tutored college calc. What you say is true. I’ve seen people who breezed through HS precalc and calc classes do faceplants when they had to take a college calc class.
Most schools use calc I/II as a weedout course for STEM majors and the problems are several steps up in difficulty from most/all AP calc classes. Having good solid college algebra and trig classes beforehand really helps people succeed.