New KU admission standards approved

LAWRENCE – New admission standards for the University of Kansas designed to encourage student achievement and increase the number of students who graduate from the university were approved by the Kansas Board of Regents today.

The new standards will go into effect for the fall 2016 entering class. They were developed this spring at the request of the Regents and with the input of students, parents, alumni and educators.

"We want every student who is interested in attending the University of Kansas and who will be successful here to come study with us. These new standards will let students and parents know what sort of preparation is needed to be successful at a flagship research university. They'll encourage students to strive for excellence in high school so that they're ready when they arrive at KU," said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.

Under the new standards, to be admitted to KU automatically new freshmen will need to complete the Kansas Qualified Admissions Precollege Curriculum, graduate from a high school or home school, and meet one of two GPA/ACT thresholds. The first requires a minimum 3.0 high school GPA combined with a 24 on the ACT (1090 SAT), while the second requires a minimum 3.25 high school GPA and a 21 on the ACT (980 SAT).

Students who do not meet the automatic admission criteria will have their applications reviewed by a committee. In making its decision on whether to admit a student, the committee will consider such factors as strength of high school coursework, grade trend, academic potential, diversity, family circumstances and the student’s ability to benefit from support services available at the university.

“Having these new standards will help students be prepared and hopefully avoid the initial challenges some students experience when they start college. We’ll also be able to direct the right support services to students when they arrive here,” said Gray-Little.

Currently, all Regents universities in Kansas have the same admission requirements. Students are admitted if they score a 21 on the ACT (980 SAT) or rank in the top one-third of their class, or have a 2.0 GPA in the Kansas Qualified Admissions Precollege Curriculum.

Gray-Little and other university leaders met with more than 200 stakeholders while developing the proposal, including students, families, alumni and K-12 school officials. The vast majority expressed support for the change and the importance of standards that not only set out clear goals for students, but also reflect the differences among the missions of Kansas’ universities.