More and more, the nation’s most successful colleges and universities are those that can respond quickly to changing circumstances and demands.

The qualified admissions standards passed by the Kansas Legislature are a good faith effort to ensure that graduates of Kansas high schools have an adequate opportunity to attend one of the state’s six universities. However, having the detailed admissions standards spelled out by state statute makes it difficult for universities or the Kansas Board of Regents to make needed changes in a timely fashion.

University officials meeting with the regents last week pointed out a number of areas in which the qualified admissions criteria were flawed or outdated. Unfortunately, it will require legislative action to change those criteria, a process that will take at least a year and could take much longer.

Passing the original legislation that set admissions standards for Kansas high schools graduates was a multiyear battle. In populist Kansas, there was a strong belief that any child of a taxpaying Kansan ought to have access to tax-supported universities.

The legislation that provided admissions standards for Kansas students likely is as detailed as it is because of the need to address the concerns of those who otherwise might have opposed the measure. Now, however, the specifics of the statute unduly hamper a system that needs to be more flexible to meet the state’s needs.

For instance, even if their ACT scores meet the qualified admissions standards, students who are home schooled or attend high schools that aren’t certified by the state can only gain admission to a state university as “exceptions,” a group that can include up to 10 percent of the freshman class.

The admissions statute includes a list of minimum required courses for a precollege curriculum. The regents can add to that list, but other changes may be needed. University leaders also argued that it didn’t make sense to have the same set of admissions requirements for the state’s major research universities as for regional universities. None of those provisions can be changed without legislative action.

As tax support to state universities has shrunk it has become more and more important for universities to direct their resources to students who are properly prepared for a university education and have a reasonable chance of success. The system of qualified admissions hasn’t proven to be an undue burden for Kansas students, and it may no longer be necessary for legislators to micromanage the process as much as they did in the original statute.

Legislators are right to be concerned about preserving Kansas students’ access to higher education. That access now is more likely to be hampered by financial concerns than by academic standards, but that is another editorial.

Giving the Board of Regents additional authority over qualified admissions requirements would benefit both universities and students. If legislators are not confident of the regents’ ability to handle that job, the state may need to take another look at the structure and powers of the board that is charged with overseeing its higher education system.