Regents’
Vote Affirms CUNY Admissions Policy
The
New York State Board of Regents voted recently to uphold the remedial
policy of the City University of New York (CUNY), which ended
an open admissions policy to the University’s four year colleges
in 1999. Critics had cautioned that the policy change could lead
to a drop in enrollment, particularly of minority students, at
four-year CUNY institutions such as City College in Washington
Heights.
CUNY officials report that enrollment at these senior colleges
increased 10.5 percent from 1999 to 2002, following a national
pattern of increased enrollment in institutions of higher education.
Mean SAT scores of admitted freshman admitted also rose, from
1043 in 1999 to 1066 in 2002. CUNY reports that the number of
African-American students at its senior colleges has increased,
while changes in the proportions of ethnic groups have been “minimal.”
The University reports that two-thirds of its entering class are
minority students.
“In
the last three years we have raised admissions standards while
growing enrollment with little change in the ethnic and racial
composition of our student body,” said CUNY Chancellor Matthew
Goldstein following the Regents vote, which he said, “endorses
and affirms this University policy.”
CUNY students who are barred from admission to the senior colleges
because they did not meet academic admissions standards can enroll
in an associate degree program at one of CUNY’s community colleges,
take part in “Immersion” programs offered in the Summer and Winter
months, find public or private tutoring or participate in the
one-semester “Prelude to Success” program taught by community
college faculty at senior colleges.
Additionally, the University’s “College Now” program for high
school students has more than tripled in size since 1999 and is
now available in every public high school.#
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