Floyd proposes direct admission
The new policy would allow the top 10 percent of Missouri high school students to be automatically admitted to the university.
Published Oct. 14, 2005
UM system President Elson Floyd has proposed allowing all Missouri high school seniors ranked in the top 10 percent of their class to be directly admitted to any University of Missouri campus.
Floyd said the policy, announced at the Board of Curators meeting Oct. 7, would ensure high-achieving Missouri students the opportunity to attend the university system.
UM system spokesman Scott Charton said Floyd expected the system's four chancellors to state their opinions about the policy by the Board of Curators' December meeting in Kansas City. Charton said Floyd hopes to enact the policy at that meeting.
A student's admission to the university is determined by a combination of standardized test scores and grade point average. Although the proposed policy would not eliminate the requirement that an applicant take the ACT or SAT, it would allow a large number of students to be automatically admitted. The proposal states that any Missouri high school student who completed the state-required 17 credits and ranks in the top 10 percent of his or her class would receive automatic admission. If a school does not rank its students, a grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale would be required for automatic admission. The policy applies only to Missouri high school students enrolled in a public school.
Floyd did not address the policy's effects on out-of-state applicants.
Charton said after the university examined the policy, the university found few drawbacks.
"President Floyd has said repeatedly that the university has ample capacity to grow in enrollment, so that is not a concern," Charton said.
Charton said the policy would not affect student scholarships or students' eligibility for scholarships. Charton said the proposal under discussion, if passed, probably would have no effect on current students.
MU spokesman Christian Basi said it was too early to comment on Chancellor Brady Deaton's stance on the issue.
Maria Curtis, the student representative to the Board of Curators, said though she was aware of the proposal, the curators have not seriously considered it.
Board of Curators President Thomas Atkins did not return a call seeking comment.
Public university systems in Texas and California enroll students based on class rank.
"The policy works well," said Clara Potes-Fellow, a spokeswoman for the University of California system.
She said admissions requirements could rise in response to increased enrollment.
"If one of the educational systems get more students than an expected, they may tighten the requirements," Potes-Fellow said.
Charton did not say if the policy would adjust according to increased enrollment.