Admissions standards to change

A state board is slated to determine the fate of Washington's college admissions process today. The Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) will meet today to discuss the future of the current minimum freshman admission standards at Washington's public four-year college and universities.

Now, the system revolves around the statewide college "admission index," a formula used to give applicants a single grade from the combination of their high school GPAs and standardized test scores.

The admission index is based on a regression analysis compiled from incoming classes to five public universities in Washington, said Tim Washburn, assistant vice president for enrollment services.

The UW agreed to use the index to simplify college advising for high schools, but according to Washburn, the formula compiled from five different universities doesn't work best for UW students.

For example, Washburn said it's unfortunate that a student's GPA weighs so heavily in the index while the college entrance examination scores might be a better indicator for predicting success in UW students specifically.

Part of the proposal by HECB suggests the complete elimination of the index in determining offers of admission.

To "determine our own index rather than a whole state's would be helpful," said Washburn.

The proposal would also increase core subject requirements for incoming high school students and require college preparatory classes from prospective students.

Right now, once the UW receives a student's application, it undergoes a preliminary review based on the completion of core subject requirements,, a complete application and the student's GPA and test scores, said Washburn.

For students applying from the class of 2005, an index of 70 or higher will gain them an offer of admission, whereas any student with a GPA below the state's standard minimum of 2.0 will be automatically denied.

HECB policy states that the UW is not allowed to admit students with less than a 2.0 GPA. "Beyond that, we would never want to admit a student with less than a 2.0 high school GPA," said Washburn.

Applications from about 50 percent of students will move on to the comprehensive evaluation, which takes a more careful look at the rigor of the student's curriculum, awards and accomplishments, extenuating circumstances and personal statement, said Washburn.

If the proposal passes, the UW will move toward a more comprehensive application review process, giving more weight to the rigor of students' schedules, said Washburn.

The components of the proposal will work to raise the minimum admissions requirements and demand that students be better prepared academically for college.

"Students who do gain admission to a university by meeting only the current minimum requirements now frequently find themselves under-prepared for college academics," said the HECB press release.