>9100 top 10% students admitted for Fall 2008

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
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<p>University of Texas favors flexibility in class rank policy
William Powers Jr., President, The University of Texas at Austin - Austin</p>

<p>USA TODAY's March 28 editorial, "Texas' 10% admission could teach colleges a thing or two," makes an important point: The top 10% law was a useful tool during the years when we were prohibited by law from considering race in our admissions.</p>

<p>When the law was implemented in 1998, only 41% of our Texas freshmen were automatically admitted because they were in the top 10% of their high school class.</p>

<p>But the editorial also suggested that the 10% law is responsible for increased racial diversity on our campus. In reality, our success in building a diverse student body is more the result of recruitment, outreach and scholarships for underserved populations.</p>

<p>The problem with a system based on automatic admission is that eventually, a university runs out of capacity. </p>

<p>For the entering class of 2008, we have automatically admitted more than 9,100 top 10% Texas high school graduates for a class of only 7,200. Not all will attend. </p>

<p>But we anticipate that 81%-85% of our Texas freshmen will be admitted based on a sole criterion — class rank. Within two years, we could reach 100%. </p>

<p>University</a> of Texas favors flexibility in class rank policy - Opinion - USATODAY.com</p>

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<p>Dr. Powers is deluding himself if he feels that "recruitment, outreach and scholarships" are responsible for racial diversity on campus. The scholarships bit is an outright lie--UT does not offer ANY scholarships targeted at students from racial and ethnic minorities, just at those from low socioeconomic backgrounds of any race. While I feel this is a great goal, the lack of help from UT is not really helping me, an upper-middle income immigrant's son from an ethnic minority, choose UT. I'm choosing UT anyways because the programs are top-notch, the social environment is what I'm looking for, and the sticker-price is lower, but many high achieving minority students will choose private universities if the cost is the issue.</p>

<p>The top ten percent law is the PRIMARY reason why diversity is so high now. Now students whose schools have failed them and who have sub-1000 SAT scores have a shot at attending one of the best universities in the country--something that before the top ten law was implemented would have been seen as laughable.</p>

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<p>Do you know anything about the number of international students that were admitted?</p>

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<p>Or the number of oos students admitted?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>wow...haha talk about selective OOS...
UT will be more selective then the Ivy leagues...
haha 1% acceptance rate for OOS...I couldn't imagine it...
at least a lot will spill over into Texas A&M, UT Arlington, UT Dallas, UT San Antonio, UT El Paso, UT Pan American and what not...
Probably drastically improving their ranks among national universities.</p>

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<p>1% for OOS????? Is this for real?
Damn, I can't imagine which was the acceptance rate for international students, lol.</p>

<p>I was lucky, indeed.</p>

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<p>^
NO!!! LOL.... I was suggesting it could be 1% in a couple of years...
Consider yourself lucky still, the university is absorbing Texans like no tomorrow.</p>

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<p>I'm new to college confidential and have read with great interest the comments regarding the texas top 10% rule and the CAP program. </p>

<p>My son has been accepted into the CAP program and reluctantly will attend UTSA in the Fall, as a means to attend UT-Austin (his 1st choice school) in Fall 2009. He really wanted to go straight to Austin as a freshman, and we have a unique situation which I describe below.</p>

<p>I strongly disagree with any argument in support of texas top 10% law.</p>

<p>We are/were a suburban middle class Texas family, and my son was born and raised in Texas until middle school, when we were transferred to Europe for a temporary work assignment, which has lasted much longer than expected (we are still here after more than 6 years). My son has attended public high school in a foreign country, learned to speak a foreign language fluently, and currently attends (and will graduate from) an international high school where more than 20 countries are represented. He has had travel opportunites that have brought him to Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Africa. Essentially, we have gone from suburban middle class Texans to citizens of the world, with friends from all over the world.</p>

<p>BUT, his international high school does not rank! So, my son is an in-state student at an unranking high school. The high school's policy is against ranking because there is such diversity in it's students backgrounds and talents, it is felt that it is unfair to judge or place students in this way. My son did well in standardized testing (1240 math and reading combined SAT, and took 3 SAT subject tests all scored above 600). He got wonderful teacher recommendations in which he was given high praise, had significant EC's, but didn't make it into Austin. In the end, he decided to accept the CAP agreement over other choices, because ultimately, UT-Austin is the best school in a great college town for the money. </p>

<p>One of the most important lessons we've learned in our overseas experience/adventure: it's a much bigger world out here than most average americans can imagine. The danger of texas top 10% rule, from my point of view, is that it will water down UT-Austin student population to 'only Texans that can manipulate and posture themselves to place in the top 10% of their graduating high school class'. How boring!! If the top 10% rule stays in place, UT-Austin will eventually become a community of uncreative, narrow-minded robots that care only about guaranteed college placement. </p>

<p>To "the loneranger" who supports the top % rule, I would like to point out that diversity is not only about ethnicity, or color of one's skin, or social standing. It's also about world-view, new ideas, finding new ways to do things, creativity, learning to live with people of different faiths, respecting the beliefs of others. For these reasons, I fully support Dr. Powers view that the rule creates a scenario whereby class rank is considered all-important, the single component by which all applicants are judged. There is much more to life, and I fear that this one-track kind of thinking is very dangerous. To retain it's standing nationally and remain well-respected, the UT system needs to recognize that they can't close themselves off to the world and remain relevant. To basically close its doors to interesting candidates that have something more to offer than just class rank is very limiting.</p>

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<p>It is true diversity has been completely reduced to the color of your skin. That is how UT, and every other university, measure it. UT is not interested in becoming diverse, it is looking to increase a racial statistic. While other countrys continue to test better then the US, you wonder why were not sending the best students to college.</p>

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<p>
[quote]

BUT, his international high school does not rank! So, my son is an in-state student at an unranking high school. The high school's policy is against ranking because there is such diversity in it's students backgrounds and talents, it is felt that it is unfair to judge or place students in this way. My son did well in standardized testing (1240 math and reading combined SAT, and took 3 SAT subject tests all scored above 600). He got wonderful teacher recommendations in which he was given high praise, had significant EC's, but didn't make it into Austin. In the end, he decided to accept the CAP agreement over other choices, because ultimately, UT-Austin is the best school in a great college town for the money.

[/quote]

I don't believe your son would have gotten in in-state even with a good rank with that SAT score. I had a friend within the 25th percentile of our (instate) high school with a ~1400 and he didn't get in...</p>

<p>
[quote]

One of the most important lessons we've learned in our overseas experience/adventure: it's a much bigger world out here than most average americans can imagine. The danger of texas top 10% rule, from my point of view, is that it will water down UT-Austin student population to 'only Texans that can manipulate and posture themselves to place in the top 10% of their graduating high school class'. How boring!! If the top 10% rule stays in place, UT-Austin will eventually become a community of uncreative, narrow-minded robots that care only about guaranteed college placement.

[/quote]

I am not pro-top 10% rule either, but I don't see how being within the top 10% would equate you to not being creative or imaginative. I know as well as pretty much every non top 10% person, that had I tried a little harder in high school, I could have been in the top ten percent, and I really wouldn't have to sacrifice much at all to do so. People act like it is SOOO impossible to be within the much coveted "top ten percent", but I mean honestly, it wasn't hard to be in at all. If we were looking strictly at intelligence based on test scores, half the people in the top 10%, shouldn't have been there, but they were, because they worked harder than me when it was important. If I was in a position where I knew my test scores wouldn't be able to get me into UT alone, then I might have tried harder, but I knew the history, so I just didn't work that hard, and was still able to get in with a decent rank.</p>

<p>
[quote]
There is much more to life, and I fear that this one-track kind of thinking is very dangerous.

[/quote]

I fear that people who might be more well-read or more culturally versed then myself, won't be able to pass a math class...</p>

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<p>the top 10% rule is crap. If they actually had the full letter from Powers (my dad received it in the mail as an alum), you could sense the panicking nature in the letter and advice to contact the state legislature to do soemthing about this rule. UT has the capability of being as good as Michigan, Virginia, UNC, Berkeley, and UCLA- but this rule is holding it back completely. The other schools are much more selective of in-state students than Texas is...and then UT makes up for it by making it impossible for OOSers or people who don't rank to get in. UT needs to downsize and get more selective of instaters instead of admitting every "underpriveleged" kid who has a 450 on his SAT critical reading but graduated in the top 10% of his HS. By doing this, UT is just attempting to give these kids a chance (which is a great thing to do), but ultimately doing them a disservice when they can't handle and adjust to life at UT, and end up doing poorly.
I'm not writing this b/c of being bitter about not being admitted, because I was admitted, but am not attending.</p>

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<p>unfortunately most of texas supports this though, regardless of how much it hurts UT. what is right is not always popular, what is popular is not always right. i dont see this law being changed anytime soon, and if it is i seriously doubt they'll cap it under 70%. These legislators cant vote against it, they wont get re-elected if they do.</p>

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<p>gjportwood
Since you are an expat you must not be aware of the caliber of UT students admitted this year. Your s scores are not competitive for UT. If he took a rigorous course load and had a high GPA, the ranking should not matter that much. I lived many years in Europe and always thought my kids would have an edge, but you will find out when you repatriate that you are not as worldly as you think. The world is a much smaller place, lots of people travel over seas and speak many languages. I also tend to believe that you are probably not living in a hardship area. If you were missionaries working in a third world country in less than desirable living conditions, I am sure that would give you an edge.</p>

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<p>It would be interesting for us all to know what is the test score distribution and what is the GPA distribution for the students who get into UT who are not in automatically by the 10% rule? What stats are required for kids who get in who are international, out of state, or in state but not in the top 10%? When I see stats from UT, they are a conglomerate dominated by the stats of the top 10% kids.</p>

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<p>GPA is not looked at by UT at all. If your school doesn't rank, UT makes up a rank based on your numbers. If they make up that you are in the top ten percent, you aren't guaranteed admission but you have a strong shot.</p>

<p>UT doesn't use teacher recs. And almost every kid, top ten included, has strong ECs.</p>

<p>But the fact remains that the percentage of minority students has significantly grown with the top ten law (but not to the point it represents state demographics). More high schools is TX now send kids to UT. And top ten kids have a higher freshman retention rate and 4-year graduation rate.</p>

<p>I personally think that UT shouldn't be obligated to accept anyone from out of state. Texas is large enough and diverse enough to promote different worldviews. And there are lots of international TX residents. Plus you were considered as a resident, so you had a much better chance than an OOS student.</p>

<p>The top ten law works wonders to promote students who haven't been given great educational opportunities to strive for excellence. No longer do you need to go to a suburban elite public school or a great private school to get in. You can work hard with whatever you are given and work your way to UT. That's where the law succeeds: giving each kid in Texas an equal chance. If you want your child to benefit from the law, transfer them to a less cutthroat high school--there's nothing in the law stopping you.</p>

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<p>Loneranger
Lets be honest here, if you had gotten rejected because of the top 10 percent rule, you would have condemned it to hell. There are too many smart students that rejected, and too many dumb ones that get in, and to be honest, at this point, it is dumbing down the university.

[quote]
That's where the law succeeds: giving each kid in Texas an equal chance. </p>

<p>If you want your child to benefit from the law, transfer them to a less cutthroat high school--there's nothing in the law stopping you.

[/quote]

If this isn't an oxymoron, I don't know what is.</p>

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<p>this law does not give kids an equal chance. the kids from the small towns and inner city dont do well because they choose not to do well, its not like texas is systematically trying to keep them out of college, quite the opposite. They give extra points to minorities, they give extra points to bad schools, their getting enough help. When will we come to the conclusion that schools arent equal and therefore you cant judge them that they. and when i say there not equal im talking about the disparity in how well the kids do, not any lack of resources issue. believe it or not loneranger, the abysmal highschool i formerly went to offered every class that my current highschool does. a person should be judged by there charecter, not the color of the skin, or how competitive there highschool is</p>

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<p>haha, I was about to mention that oxymoron.</p>

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<p>It is unfair, that goes unquestioned. Many Deserving students get rejected while many undeserving get automatically accepted... This goes for many, if not all, universities though, many deserving get rejected and many undeserving get admitted.
That being said, you cannot argue with results... Graduations Rates, Rank, and Prestige have all gone up.
The law is not built to please one individual, if it doesn't work for you...make it work for you... if you can't, then you obviously have a strike against you. That is unfortunate but you'll have to work harder. No One said it would be easy, and if you're truly a bright bright person in the wrong circumstances, I send my condolences. But If you are truly bright you should get admitted to many places just as good.
UT is just as strong, if not stronger, then many of the other top tier public universities...
Many of you are angry that you didn't get admitted (not all of you) but many are also thankful that they did.
Life is not, and never will be, fair. We might as well get used to it.</p>

<p>Many of the programs exceed or meet the standards of universities like Cal, UCLA, UVA, UNC, and UM.
As far as I am concerned, UT is one of the top tier Public Universities in the US.</p>

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<p>the problem is, texas only has two tier universitys, which are polar opposites. I did get into schools just as good, but out of state is to expensive. Texas wont join any of the programs that allow its students to get in-state tution at out of state universitys either, or hasnt made any attempt to.</p>