CWU To Hold Hearing On Freshmen Admission Requirements

March 30, 2005

Contact: Kris Betker (360-753-7817/e-mail: krisb@hecb.wa.gov)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - The state's Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) is in the final stages of its review of Washington's current minimum admission requirements for freshmen entering the state's public four-year universities and college.

"We have found broad consensus among educators that the current requirements are inadequate and that too many high school graduates are not prepared for college-level work," Dr. James E. Sulton, Jr., HECB executive director, says.

In order to help more students succeed in college, the HEC Board is proposing a series of revisions to the state's minimum admission requirements beginning in summer 2008.

The revisions, resulting from collaboration with college and university leaders over the past year along with feedback from K-12 education and business leaders, include:

• Requiring four credits of mathematics, with at least one credit in the senior year of high school;
• Requiring two credits of laboratory science, one of which is algebra based;
• Requiring three credits of academic core coursework in each year of high school; and
• Eliminating the statewide college "Admissions Index," which ranks students based solely on grade point averages and test scores and does not consider the difficulty of coursework.

Central Washington University will host one of five statewide public hearings on the proposed changes on Tuesday, April 19, from 4 to 6 p.m., in the Samuelson Union Building (SUB) Yakama Room.

The proposed revisions would not affect the ability public four-year schools now have to admit students who are "late bloomers" or who change their career aspirations midway through high school, according to Sulton.

"Our colleges and universities could continue to admit some students - up to 15 percent of each freshman class - who do not meet the minimum requirements but demonstrate college readiness in other ways," he notes. "Also, they could continue to adopt additional requirements beyond the state minimum admission requirements." Written comments on the proposed changes will be accepted through May 20 by mail to:

Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board
917 Lakeridge Way SW
P.O. Box 43430
Olympia, WA 98504-3430

Or, by e-mail: admissionstandards@hecb.wa.gov

The HEC Board is required by state law to establish minimum admission requirements for freshmen at Washington's public four-year universities and college. In 1987, the 10-member board adopted the current admission standards, which were fully implemented for students entering in fall 1992.

Board members are expected to adopt a final revision to the minimum admission requirements for freshmen this summer.

For more information about the CWU public hearing, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (360) 753-7817, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.