Kansas University’s tougher admission standards are inching closer to reality.

On Monday, state and KU officials briefed the House-Senate Committee on Rules and Regulations about the proposed standards, and the Kansas Board of Regents will probably put the finishing touches on them next month.

The proposed standards are “designed to encourage student achievement and student success,” said Sara Rosen, senior vice provost for academic affairs at KU. “The current standards do not reflect what it takes to succeed at the University of Kansas,” she said.

Currently, admission criteria are the same for all six regents universities. A Kansas high school graduate can be admitted if he or she meets one of these:

• Has an ACT score of at least 21 or SAT score of at least 980.

• Ranks in the top one-third of the high school class.

• Has a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale in the Kansas Qualified Precollege Admissions curriculum.

Under the proposed standards, to be automatically admitted to KU, graduating high school students would have to complete the pre-college curriculum along with one of these:

• A minimum 3.0 GPA and an ACT score of at least 24 or 1090 SAT.

• A minimum 3.25 GPA and an ACT score of 21 or 980 SAT.

Students would also have to apply by Feb. 1 prior to their freshman year at KU to be considered for automatic application.

Students who don’t meet the criteria will have their applications reviewed by a committee that will look at numerous considerations, including whether the applying student would be a first generation college student, or is the child or grandchild of KU graduates, and has the potential to succeed academically.
If given final approval by the regents next month, the standards would take effect for the entering freshman class in fall 2016. Rosen said the new standards would “result in more students successfully earning degrees from the University of Kansas.”

Matt Melvin, KU’s associate vice provost for recruitment and enrollment, said the goal is not to deny access but to get students enrolled who are better-prepared for the rigors of KU. He said the school is not so much interested in recruiting freshmen, but “recruiting graduates-to-be.”