Academic Standards are Rising, not Falling, at the University of Arkansas

Daniel D. Bennett, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
John A. White, Chancellor
University of Arkansas

Recent newspaper stories and editorials have created the misperception that the University of Arkansas has lowered academic standards. The stories questioned if we truly raised admission standards and if the changes we made in the academic suspension policy have jeopardized the quality of our academic programs.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The University has raised academic standards, not lowered them. The increasing quality of our student body demonstrates how successful our efforts have been. Further, we expect academic quality to continue increasing.

In 1997, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved higher admission standards for entering freshmen. Now, freshmen are admitted automatically only if they have at least a score of 20 on the ACT, at least a 3.0 high school grade-point average, and have satisfactorily completed 16 hours of core courses. Other students are admitted administratively if they provide evidence of ability to perform well academically and complete graduation requirements.

The results speak for themselves. From 1997 to 1999: freshman ACT scores increased from 23.4 to 24.5 (national average is 21.0); freshman high school grade-point averages rose from 3.39 to 3.51; the percentage of freshmen in the top 10 percent of their high school classes improved from 28 to 36 percent; the University’s six-year graduation rate improved from 41.8 to 45.1 percent; freshman mid-year retention rates increased from 90.5 to 94.1 percent; the number of National Merit Scholars increased from 90 to 120; and student enrollment grew from 14,385 to 15,226.

Also, the number of applicants with ACT scores of 19 or less dropped from 522 in 1998 (before the new admission standards were implemented) to 264 for the fall 2000 entering class. Applicants with high school grade-point averages of 2.75 or less also declined.

In addition to raising admission standards, we also raised our expectations. In particular, we have set a number of 10-year goals, including entering freshmen having an average ACT score of 26.5, the high school grade-point for the freshman class averaging 3.65, at least 50 percent of new freshmen being in the top 10 percent of high school graduating classes, at least 96 percent of new freshmen remaining in school the entire academic year, and having at least 250 National Merit Scholars enrolled. As you can see, our focus is on getting better each and every year.

What created the false impression that academic standards have been lowered, when the facts demonstrate otherwise? On April 12, the Faculty Senate voted unanimously to revise the academic suspension policy as it affected freshmen and sophomores. Before going further, let me point out what the Faculty Senate did not do: it did not vote to lower our new, higher admission standards; it did not vote to change, in any way, the minimal grade-point average required to enroll as a junior (2.0); and it did not vote to change the minimal grade-point average required for graduation (2.0).

So, the Senate’s vote did not lower two critical requirements that help define the quality of an institution: admission requirements and graduation requirements. What, then, did the vote do?

It aligned the UofA’s academic suspension policy with that of other colleges and universities in the nation. In benchmarking against universities in the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, and SEC athletic conferences, we learned that the quality of our entering freshmen ranks in the middle of the 54 universities. However, our six-year graduation rate ranks at the bottom.

As we searched for possible causes for this disparity, we discovered we were the quickest to suspend and the slowest to re-admit students. Other prestigious universities provide a greater opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to make the transition from high school to college. They recognize that, for many, university life requires a significant intellectual, social, and personal adjustment. The rigor of the classroom catches some freshmen unprepared intellectually and motivationally. Too many with the ability to graduate fall through the cracks.

Students having a "tough start" often make the necessary adjustments and improve significantly in their junior and senior years. After stumbling during the freshman year, the typical student rises to the challenge and improves his or her cumulative grade-point average by at least one-half a letter grade by the senior year. The new academic eligibility policy is based on the reality that academic performance is often the poorest in the freshman year. Previously, students had only one semester to succeed or fail; now, they have until the beginning of their junior year to do so.

Is the policy too lenient? Does it represent a lowering of standards? If so, then we have lowered them to equal those at Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Texas, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin.

The University of Arkansas has raised academic standards significantly and increased the quality of its freshman classes. The Faculty Senate’s new, more humane policy will strengthen Arkansas’s rapidly improving flagship university and, more importantly, give students who need it a fighting chance to succeed.

We are committed to the University of Arkansas being a nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world. The competition among states and nations in the 21st Century for jobs will be based on who has the smartest, not the cheapest, people. Hence, achieving our vision will benefit all Arkansans.