Higher admissions standards may be bad news for Arizona's minority students

Stricter automatic admissions policies starting in 2006 may make it harder for Arizona high school students - especially minorities - to get into the UA, according to a recent ABOR high school eligibility study.

Six percent of American Indians, nine percent of African Americans and 11 percent of Hispanics in Arizona would be guaranteed admission into the state university of their choice if they applied under the requirements the universities will be using in 2006, approximately one-third of those eligible using current standards.

About half the number of whites and Asian Americans will be eligible in 2006 when automatic admissions policies outlined under the Changing Directions initiative two years ago take effect.

High school students in 2006 will be guaranteed admission to Arizona universities if they graduate in the top 25 percent of their class and complete all 16 of the ABOR competency courses.

Now state universities have to ensure admissions to Arizona high school graduates in the top 50 percent of their class who complete 14 of the competency courses.

Under admissions standards specific to the UA, students who fall in the top 26-50 percent of their class will be admitted first based on their academic performance, and then "holistically," said Richard Kroc, UA vice president of enrollment management, who conducted the eligibility study presented to regents last week.

A holistic review could admit students based on their personal statements, résumés, economic backgrounds, race, personal circumstances and letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors or principals.

Also starting in 2006, the universities won't be limited by the number of applicants they defer to community colleges. Now, no more than 10 percent can be deferred admission to be sent to community colleges.

Kroc said he doesn't think that in future years the UA student body will be made up of a smaller percentage of Arizona high school graduates. But he said as the state population grows, the percentage of Arizona high school graduates accepted to the university will decrease.

The restructuring of the state university system proposed last month would have regional universities taking care of the majority of the students' undergraduate needs and the UA and ASU becoming more research-oriented.

But some worry that as the UA becomes more selective, minority groups will be left with the "second tier" of state universities.

Kroc said the new admissions policy gives the university more authority to pick who it accepts, which could increase diversity.

"There's a view that we're going to become too selective," Kroc said. "But we're just going to select in a different way."

The drops in eligibility levels, while not comforting, are nothing new. When ABOR tightened admissions requirements in 1998 to require students to complete 16 instead of 11 courses, eligibility for all students droppedfrom 55.3 percent to 41.7 percent.

Eligibility fell the most that year for American Indians, at 19 percent, followed by African Americans, Hispanics, whites and Asian Americans.

While eligibility levels for all ethnic subgroups together have crept up 2.2 percent from 1998 to 2002, they still haven't caught up to levels 15 years ago.

Kroc said he expected more progress to have been made by now, and said the differences among the subgroups is worrisome.

"There continues to be differences across ethnic groups," Kroc said. "The message is we have to redouble our efforts."

While the study indicates that not as many American Indians and African Americans may be eligible for automatic admission to state universities in 2006, the holistic approach may give the university the authority to increase diversity.

"What ABOR has done is given us the latitude to go beyond those indicators," he said.

A United States Supreme Court ruling last year allowed for affirmative action if no quota or point systems were used. Consequently, the university can delegate admission based on race if it's not the only factor being considered.

Kroc said only one in four students who barely meet the current minimum admission requirements graduate.

"What we'd like to better figure out is who that one person that graduates is and admit him," Kroc said.

The university wouldn't be doing a favor to students, faculty and the community, he said, if it admitted students who couldn't succeed.

Though the holistic approach hasn't been set in stone, it recommends two reviewers look at applications separately.

Kroc said the university is testing the review process on admissions applications for 2005 and it will most likely be adopted into UA admissions policies in 2006.

Kroc said the universities need to work with the K-12 system to prepare students for the new requirements.

"Early outreach is very important," Kroc said. "The university has got to get students started at an early age."

One-third of the high school students who made it to the top 25 percent of their class were missing a math course requirement. Kroc said he will be looking into whether or not a suggestion last week by Superintendent Tom Horne to lower the universities' math requirements would help students' eligibility without hurting their academic success.

At the board meeting last Friday, Horne said requiring high school students to complete four math credits before being granted automatic admission to the universities was too tough on Arizona high schoolers.

Horne proposed requiring three years of math in high school, one of them during a student's senior year, and perhaps requiring an additional social science course.

Kroc said he will look at how well students who took four as opposed to three years in high school are doing in the university and whether or not their success depends on the college they're in.