R461, Admissions, Access, and Articulation

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R461-1. Purpose

To provide for student admissions, access and articulation with high schools.

2.2. Utah Code §53B-16-102 (Changes in Curriculum)

3.1.1. Geographic Proximity - Lower Division Programs - Access to postsecondary institutions is based on the assumption that the students and society will benefit from higher education. Generally speaking, access is linked to the level of academic programs. Lower-division offerings constitute the foundation of advanced educational opportunity both in the liberal arts and in vocational and technical training. In the case of lower-division programs, reasonable geographic accessibility should be an overriding criterion in determining specific access policies. In case of unusually high-cost or highly specialized programs, geographical proximity will necessarily be weighted against numbers served and the availability of resources.

3.1.2. Upper Division Programs - Because of the increased cost and specialization of many upper-division programs over lower-division offerings, geographical proximity will be a less important consideration in determining access. Senior public institutions are not located in every center of population in the state; therefore collaborative inter-institutional arrangements should be undertaken to ensure that students capable of benefiting from such programs are included.

3.1.3. Graduate and Professional Programs - Graduate and professional programs are characterized by critical masses of highly specialized faculty, expensive research equipment, research libraries, and sophisticated laboratory and clinical facilities, and are, in general, substantially more expensive than undergraduate programs. Since these graduate and professional programs constitute such a scarce educational resource to the state, geographical proximity should be regarded as only a nominal consideration.

3.2. Admissions: General Principles

3.2.1. Open Access to System - Every Utah citizen capable of benefiting from postsecondary education should be afforded the opportunity to enroll somewhere in the Utah System of Higher Education.

3.2.2. No Additional Institutions - Given the nine existing institutions and the several off-campus centers now functioning, no additional postsecondary institutions should be established in the state at the present time or in the foreseeable future.

3.2.3. Admissions at Community Colleges - The five two-year comprehensive community colleges should provide open access consistent with established admissions standards to both traditional entering freshmen and older students reestablishing their educational and career objectives. Selective admission may be necessary in some of the high-cost programs where limitations of faculty and facilities exist.

3.2.4. Admissions at Metropolitan/Regional Universities - The two metropolitan/ regional universities (WSU and SUU) should provide access consistent with established admissions standards to most programs at the lower-division level, except where high-cost programs with limitations of faculty and facilities require enrollment restrictions. While access to upper-division majors may necessarily be restricted in some areas, such access should be predicated on admission standards which are appropriately rigorous and demanding for the baccalaureate degree programs offered and should generally facilitate students completing baccalaureate-level work.

3.2.5. Admissions at Teaching/Research Universities - Standards of preparation of a more rigorous and demanding kind should be developed as appropriate by the state's two universities at the lower division level, the upper division level, and at the graduate level, in order to bring the level of preparation students should possess into congruence with the institution's classroom standards, educational norms, and academic reputations.

3.2.6. Communications with Public Education - Changes in admission standards at the postsecondary institutions may have implications for curriculum structures in the state's secondary schools. In order to facilitate articulation between the public school system and the system of higher education, cooperative efforts in maintaining and improving communications should be part of the planning process of postsecondary institutions.

3.3. Articulation with High Schools

3.3.1. Communicate Preparation Needed for Success - Utah System of Higher Education institutions should clearly communicate to the public the kind of preparation that is needed in high school (or elsewhere) for a student to successfully perform at the institution and in specific programs at the institution.

3.3.2. Admissions Standards and Public Schools Curricula - When major changes in institutional admissions policies are contemplated, the Commissioner's Office, together with the interested institutional offices, should consult with the State Office of Education and with appropriate area school districts concerning implications for the public schools and curriculum offerings.

3.3.3. Faculty Committees to Articulate Curricula - Where the need suggests, task forces or committees composed of faculty representatives from public education and higher education should be appointed to articulate curriculum offerings at both levels in specific subject matter areas.

3.4. Nonresident Student Access

3.4.1. Tuition Reciprocity Agreements - The Commissioner, in cooperation with the institutional presidents, will continue to pursue tuition reciprocity agreements with neighboring states where such initiatives seem prudent and warranted subject to applicable statutory authority for, and Board of Regents approval of, such agreements.

3.4.2. Cultural Diversity - Cultural diversity will be fostered at all system institutions to the extent that program offerings will allow. Accordingly, the Board of Regents encourages appropriate levels of nonresident enrollments, consistent with availability of resources, maintenance of quality programs, and compliance with approved admissions requirements.

4.1.1. Universities - All four USHE universities shall have common application deadlines for Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters. The Autumn deadline shall be no later than July 1.

4.1.2. Community Colleges - Community colleges shall not adopt application deadlines.

4.1.3. Late Applications - Late applications may be processed with verification of exceptional circumstances (e.g., severe illness, accident or death of family member, etc.).

4.1.4. Deadline Extension - If an institution's funded enrollment target is not met by the deadline, an extension may be granted by the Board of Regents.

4.2. Index benchmarks

4.2.1. Universities The UofU and USU shall use an upper benchmark of 105 and a lower benchmark of 95, and WSU and SUU shall use an upper benchmark of 95 and a lower benchmark of 80.

4.2.2. Community Colleges - Community colleges shall not use an admissions index at this time.

4.3. High school course requirements

4.3.1. List of Courses - Ultimately, the four USHE universities shall use the same list of high school courses (with the exception of foreign language for the UofU), with the teaching/research universities requiring students to have completed the high school courses prior to admission and the metropolitan/regional universities strongly recommending completion of the courses. Sections 4.3.3 through 4.3.6 should enable each university to develop and implement high school course requirements for that institution.

Four years of English -- emphasizing composition and literature

Two years of Mathematics -- selected from geometry, intermediate algebra, trigonometry, college or advanced algebra, or calculus

Two years of Biological/Physical Science -- including one laboratory experience

One year of American History -- processes and structure of democratic governance

Two years of foreign language -- the same language taken during grades seven through twelve

Four years of additional courses -- from at least two of the following: history, English, mathematics beyond intermediate algebra, laboratory science, foreign language, social science, and fine arts

4.3.2. Conditional Admission - A freshman applicant who does not meet the course requirements for admission but who has an ACT or SAT score in the upper half of the Utah college-bound population may be admitted on the condition that the course deficiency is fulfilled during the applicant's freshman year.

4.3.3. Universities - U of U and USU shall each require its respective list of courses, including three math courses selected from a common list and three science courses.  WSU and SUU shall strongly recommend a similar list of courses.

4.3.6. Community Colleges - Community colleges shall strongly recommend that students take full advantage of their high school curricula in order to diminish the need for remedial courses in college. Furthermore, students planning to transfer to a university should take the same high school courses as recommended/required for the respective university. Also, students planning to study in the vocational education and applied technology fields should take as many math, science, English and computer science courses as possible to prepare themselves for increasingly technical training required in these fields.

4.4. Interdisciplinary Curricula - Interdisciplinary curricula, developed in high schools shall be articulated with the above course requirements so as not to disadvantage students graduating from such high schools.

4.6. Special and Nontraditional Admission for Universities - Each USHE university shall be allowed to continue to employ what has been referred to as the "5 percent rule," whereby up to 5 percent of new students may be composed of individuals who do not meet conventional admissions criteria and are admitted conditionally. This special consideration is given to certain groups of students (e.g., educationally disadvantage, ethnic minority, and students with special talents) for whom the common indicators of predicted academic success may not be valid indicators of their potential success at a university, but whose special talents or diversity enhance the institution's character. Also, universities in locations without a nearby community college may include in the 5 percent a portion of freshman students whose circumstances prohibit relocation in order to enroll in a community college.

4.7. Transfer Requirements

4.7.1. Annual System Reviews - Annual USHE system reviews and analyses shall be conducted in order to give direction for future policies.

4.7.2. Minimum Grade Point Averages for Transfer Students - The minimum grade point averages (GPAs) for admission of transfer students to USHE universities shall be as follows:

UofU & USU - 2.50 Likely to be admitted
*2.20-2.49 May be admitted
2.19 & below Likely to be denied

WSU & SUU - 2.25 Likely to be admitted
**2.00-2.24 May be admitted
1.99 & below Likely to be denied

*Students who have completed an associate degree and whose GPA is in this range are more likely to be admitted to the UofU and USU than those without an associate degree.

**Students who have completed an associate degree and whose GPA is 2.00 or higher qualify for general admission at WSU and SUU and will be treated the same as non-transfer students in the admission to specific programs.

4.7.3. Completion of Appropriate Associate Degree - Community college students shall be strongly encouraged to complete an appropriate associate degree prior to transferring to a university. Typically, the Associate of Applied Science Degree is not considered a transfer degree unless specified by the receiving university. An advantage of the completion of the associate degree is the automatic acceptance of the general education requirement having been met. By Fall 1993, the System shall study and bring a recommendation to the Board of Regents as to whether or not a "probationary quarter" should be required of transfer students.

4.7.4. Transfer Students with Less than 45 Credit Hours - Students transferring with less than 45 quarter credit hours (or 30 semester credit hours) will be governed by the same admissions requirements as freshman students; however, performance in college work will be considered.

4.7.5. Departments or Majors with Higher GPA Standards - The System institutions shall make available to potential transfer students information regarding departments and majors with higher GPA standards and additional course requirements in order to assist students in realistic academic planning.

4.7.6. Degree Completion - Universities shall develop procedures for monitoring and advising students who move from sophomore to junior status with the objective of degree completion within an appropriate time and in order to limit the continuation of students not making satisfactory progress toward a degree.