UC could cut guaranteed admissions

A proposed change may make a difference to some UC applicants.

San Francisco Chronicle Nov. 1, 2007

UC panel urges eligibility change to cut guaranteed admissions

By Tanya Schevitz

A key faculty committee is recommending that the University of California dramatically reduce the number of high school seniors who are guaranteed admission to its campuses, a cornerstone of the state's landmark 1960 Master Plan for Education.

The committee's proposal stems from concerns that UC's current method of determining student eligibility is too rigid, making it unfair to some students. The proposal would make changes so only the top 4 percent of graduating seniors would be guaranteed a seat - down from the current 12.5 percent.

The state's Master Plan promises that every California student meeting eligibility requirements will get a seat somewhere in the UC system's nine undergraduate campuses.

But members of the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, a systemwide faculty committee, believe the guarantee works to the disadvantage of some students - mainly those in rural and inner-city high schools that do not offer all the college preparatory classes required by UC and that do not have enough counselors to properly guide students to take the required courses and tests.

The proposal also would eliminate the requirement that students take two SAT II subject exams to be eligible for the UC system.

Read the rest of the article...