CSU approves new measures for admission

The California State University Board of Trustees approved two measures that could impact nearly every student in the CSU system.

In their July meeting, the trustees voted to change the GPA used to determine admission, while aligning the requirements to match those of the UC system. Additionally, they voted to reduce the number of units required for graduation from 124 units to 120.

According to a transcript of the meeting, the GPA used to determine admission eligibility will now be based solely on 15 college preparation courses taken within the last three years of high school.

Currently, all courses completed within the last three years are considered, but the board defends this modification stating that the new method, to be implemented Fall 2004, will more accurately reflect students' academic preparation.

"We're saying to studentsÖthat these are the courses that matter. This is where you need to spend your time and concentrate your efforts," Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer David Spence said in the transcript.

Despite the adjustment, the report says that the CSU system will strive to accept the top third of high school graduates.

The trustees approved another measure on admission back in September when they moved to align CSU's admission requirements with those of the UC system. To accomplish this, CSU added one year of laboratory science and one year of social science or history to the list of preparatory courses to be taken in high school. In turn, the UC system added a visual and performing arts requirement. According to the report, both systems will now share the same admission requirements beginning fall 2003.

The report also announced a 120-unit requirement for college graduation. Currently at 124 units, the new requirement is considered more modern as the four-unit difference is based upon a physical education requirement that few CSU campuses enforce.

The four-unit requirement is considered out of date for the difficulty it creates for students wishing to graduate in four years. A normal course load, as cited in the report, is considered 15 units per semester. With 15 units per semester and two semesters per year, at the end of the four years, a student would still be short four units for graduation.

"This revision will help students graduate sooner," CSU Chancellor Charles Reed said in the transcript. "The new requirements are consistent with most universities in the nation and just make sense. This is one of many changes the CSU has implemented recently to eliminate unnecessary hurdles for our students."