Spring Break
Top 10 percent rule amended
By: Megan Clark
Issue date: 6/17/09 Section: News
The Texas Legislature has modified the program that grants high school students that graduate in the top 10 percent of their class admission to the state university of their choice. The program has been in effect for approximately 10 years.
The new law will limit the amount of students admitted to the University of Texas at Austin to 75 percent of Texas residents and the top 10 percentile. Twenty five percent of freshman students admitted will now be students who graduated outside of the top 10 percent or from outside of Texas.
The rule change is due to capacity issues and to create diversity, said junior psychology major Samantha Krage.
"I agree that diversity is a big ticket issue for a lot of universities," Krage said. "But I suppose it surprises me that UT is one of them."
Many people have argued that the rule considers only grades, which should not be the only thing to be considered in acceptance, Krage said.
"I honestly think that the top 10 percent rule is unfair to a lot of people," Krage said. "Being in the top 10 percent will not and does not dictate how well you do in college."
As of now, the amendment to the law only applies to the University of Texas at Austin, and does not take effect for another two years.
However, rumors have circulated and made people believe that it could be considered for other universities, including A&M, assistant provost for enrollment Alice Reinarz said.
"From the legislative hearings, the issue has been that UT Austin had capacity issues," Reinarz said. "They didn't have room to admit many students using measures other than top 10 percent, but A&M doesn't fall into that category."
Last year, the University of Texas at Austin gave admission to more than 80 percent of graduates that came from the top 10 percent of their class. Texas A&M admitted 53 percent of graduates from the top 10 percentile.
"This is just not an issue for A&M as described by the current bill that just passed," Reinarz said. "Since the proportion of Texas resident freshmen at Texas A&M from top 10 percent admits is not 75 percent, we would not be currently affected by the bill, even if it applied to our institution."
The new law will limit the amount of students admitted to the University of Texas at Austin to 75 percent of Texas residents and the top 10 percentile. Twenty five percent of freshman students admitted will now be students who graduated outside of the top 10 percent or from outside of Texas.
The rule change is due to capacity issues and to create diversity, said junior psychology major Samantha Krage.
"I agree that diversity is a big ticket issue for a lot of universities," Krage said. "But I suppose it surprises me that UT is one of them."
Many people have argued that the rule considers only grades, which should not be the only thing to be considered in acceptance, Krage said.
"I honestly think that the top 10 percent rule is unfair to a lot of people," Krage said. "Being in the top 10 percent will not and does not dictate how well you do in college."
As of now, the amendment to the law only applies to the University of Texas at Austin, and does not take effect for another two years.
However, rumors have circulated and made people believe that it could be considered for other universities, including A&M, assistant provost for enrollment Alice Reinarz said.
"From the legislative hearings, the issue has been that UT Austin had capacity issues," Reinarz said. "They didn't have room to admit many students using measures other than top 10 percent, but A&M doesn't fall into that category."
Last year, the University of Texas at Austin gave admission to more than 80 percent of graduates that came from the top 10 percent of their class. Texas A&M admitted 53 percent of graduates from the top 10 percentile.
"This is just not an issue for A&M as described by the current bill that just passed," Reinarz said. "Since the proportion of Texas resident freshmen at Texas A&M from top 10 percent admits is not 75 percent, we would not be currently affected by the bill, even if it applied to our institution."
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