IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa’s admissions director said the university has increased minority enrollment through stepped-up efforts in recruitment and outreach, rather than considering race and ethnicity per se in the admissions process.
“Admission at the University of Iowa is based on academic achievement,” Admissions Director Mike Barron said.
However, the university does value diversity in all forms as part of its strategic plan, Barron said.
“So having an enrollment that better mirrors the society in which we live is a goal, but race and ethnicity per se are not factors in admissions decisions,” he said.
The issue of affirmative action in public higher education admissions will go before the U.S. Supreme Court in the fall. The court agreed Tuesday to consider new limits on the contentious issue of affirmative action programs. A challenge from a white student who was denied admission to the University of Texas flagship campus will be the high court’s first look at affirmative action in higher education since its 2003 decision endorsing the use of race as a factor. This time around, a more conservative court could jettison that earlier ruling or at least limit when colleges may take account of race in admissions.
The Regent Admission Index governs the admission of freshmen at the UI, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa by considering four factors: ACT or SAT test scores, high school class rank, high school grade-point average and the number of completed high school core courses. Students from Iowa high schools must have a Regent Admission Index score of at least 245 and take the minimum number of required high school courses to qualify for automatic admission to ISU, UNI or the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students who score less than 245 will be considered for admission on an individual basis. Freshman applications from approved high schools in other states may be held to higher academic standards, but must meet at least the same requirements as graduates of Iowa high schools.
The effort to increase minority enrollment at the UI focuses on the recruitment end, to boost diversity of the applicant pool, Barron said.
“We measure everyone by the same academic standards,” he said.
Minority student enrollment was 11.9 percent at the UI in fall 2011, compared to 9.9 percent at ISU and 7.4 percent at UNI. Among incoming freshmen at the three universities, minority enrollment in fall 2011 was 14.2 percent at the UI, 13.2 percent at ISU and 7.5 percent at UNI.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
