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KU seeks clearer guaranteed-admission rules; Board approves Feb. 1 deadline, ACT and GPA changes
Summary
The BASC approved KU’s changes to guaranteed-admission criteria — a Feb. 1 guaranteed-application deadline, an ACT test pathway raised to 24 with minimum GPA 2.5, and a GPA-based route lowered from 3.25 to 3.0 — after debate about retention and recruitment.
The Board of Regents’ BASC approved a University of Kansas proposal to revise guaranteed‑admission routes and add a Feb. 1 guaranteed‑application deadline. Provost Bickelmeyer and enrollment vice provost Nick Stevens presented the changes and defended them as measures to balance accessibility and student success.
Under the adopted revisions, KU will add a Feb. 1 deadline for guaranteed admission consideration. The proposal also revises two guaranteed routes: a GPA‑based route would be guaranteed at a 3.0 high‑school grade‑point average (lowered from 3.25), and a test‑pathway would require a 24 on the ACT plus a minimum 2.5 high‑school GPA (the test threshold rises from 21). Stevens said these revisions apply to guaranteed admission only; KU will continue holistic review outside the guaranteed pathways.
The enrollment team cited student‑outcome data in support of the changes. "Their second year retention rates are around 50 percent," Stevens said of students admitted with lower GPA/test profiles, and their six‑year graduation rate is "about 25 percent," he added, arguing those outcomes informed the decision to raise the test threshold and clarify guaranteed criteria.
Several regents questioned whether lowering the guaranteed‑GPA threshold from 3.25 to 3.0 would make KU less attractive to higher‑performing students. Provost Bickelmeyer replied that guaranteed‑admission clarity helps KU compete with peer institutions and stressed the need to pair admissions with scholarship packaging and supports to retain students. Stevens also cited housing and instructional capacity as factors in shaping the admitted class.
A regent asked whether transfer criteria would change; Stevens said transfer criteria remain the same and that guaranteed‑admission revisions apply only to freshmen. After discussion the committee moved and voted to adopt KU’s proposed changes.
The transcript does not specify effective dates for implementation beyond the stated Feb. 1 deadline, nor does it provide a finalized scholarship or housing plan.
