Regents keep automatic‑admit threshold at 245 and retain test‑optional pathway after biennial review

Regent staff and university researchers presented the biennial review of the Regents Admission Index (RAI), a metrics‑driven automatic‑admissions process for in‑state applicants.

Jason Pontius summarized multi‑year analyses of persistence, GPA, graduation rates and distributions of test‑optional students. The evidence showed that students admitted automatically under the 245 RAI threshold have comparable retention and graduation outcomes to peers; students admitted via the voluntary test‑optional pathway showed strong first‑year grades. Based on the data, Pontius recommended maintaining the 245 threshold and retaining the test‑optional pathway.

The presenters also flagged an upward trend in reported high‑school GPAs, attributable in part to increased concurrent/college‑level course-taking and weighted grades; they proposed forming a committee to investigate grade inflation and consider adjustments to how GPAs and weighted courses are treated in the RAI calculation. Regents accepted the recommendations and asked for follow‑up work on the grade‑inflation review.

The Board noted that the RAI primarily targets in‑state applicants and that universities may choose whether to use RAI for out‑of‑state students.