December 7, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Suzanne Ernst (702) 889-8426

Regents Approve Higher Admissions Standards for Nevada Universities

LAS VEGAS - After two months of debate and two public hearings, the Board of Regents took action today to increase admissions standards at the state's two public universities.

According to the revised policy, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno will increase their minimum grade point average requirement for incoming freshmen from 2.5 to 2.75 starting in fall 2006. The GPA will once again increase to 3.0 by fall 2010.

"After much time and discussion with the public, as well as with the students and faculty of our institutions, we are confident that the increased standards approved today will improve the quality of higher education in Nevada, and ultimately help us retain more students," said Thalia Dondero, chair of the Board of Regents.

The revised proposal brought to the Board on Thursday also called for weighted GPAs to be used when calculating the students' GPA. A weighted GPA will only include classes within the core curriculum, not electives.

Additionally, by fall 2006, the percentage of students admitted by alternate criteria will increase from 6 percent to 10 percent. Students who do not meet the admission criteria will also receive simultaneous admission to the university and to a program at another institution. This allows students to enroll at a university once they have completed a comprehensive transfer program at another institution of higher education.

The Board also approved a revised admission policy for transfer students. Effective fall 2006, transfer students who wish to enter UNLV or UNR must have earned a minimum of 24 semester credits at another academic institution, an increase over the current minimum of 12 credits, as well as have attained a 2.3 GPA. This GPA will once again increase to 2.5 in fall 2010. All students with an associate's degree are automatically eligible for admission to the two state universities.

Although the Board approved these revised policies, a final amendment to the Board of Regents' handbook will be presented and voted on at the January meeting. The Board handbook is a collection of governing documents used to set policies for UCCSN institutions.

The universities will conduct impact studies in spring 2008 to determine the effect the revised policies have on students and to make any changes as necessary.

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 11-member governing body for University and Community College System of Nevada. Comprising two doctoral granting universities, a state college, four comprehensive community colleges and one internationally acclaimed research institute, the UCCSN serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 100,000 students.

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