Admissions Committee
Charge: Make evidence-based recommendations
to Congress regarding policies that will maximize
student success
Method: analyzed sources including
• UCLA HERI study based on CIRP data that
included 56,818 students in 262 universities
• IRO documents (UHH and other institutions)
• Detailed outcomes for our incoming 2003 firsttime freshmen
• Peer-reviewed, published research
Higher Education Research Institute (HERI)
study on Cooperative Institutional Research
Program (CIRP) data
• ~ 700 two-year colleges, four-year colleges and
universities administer the Freshman Survey to over
400,000 entering students during orientation/registration.
• Survey covers a characteristics including: parental income
and education, ethnicity, financial aid, HS achievement /
activities; educational and career plans, and values,
attitudes, beliefs, and self-concept.
• “How good is your retention rate?” 2/3 of retention and
graduation rate explained by student, not institutional
characteristics.
• “the best way to evaluate any institution’s actual degree
completion rate is to compute an “expected” degree
completion rate based on the characteristics of the
students when they first enroll.” (
)
http://www.heri.ucla.edu/PDFs/DARCU_RB.PDF
How good is our retention rate? Worst
among best-prepared students
• Students with 3.3 GPA / 900 SAT or above lag the
expected rate by thirty percentage points.
90.00%
80.00%
6 Yr Graduation Rate
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
Expected
Actual
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
<800,<2.7
700-799, 2.7-3.0
800-899, 3.0-3.3
900-999, 3.3-3.7
1000+, 3.7+
What if students had graduated @
expected rates?
6 yr grad rate would be 50 %, not 30-33%.
2003 freshmen would have earned 32 more UHH degrees
90.00%
80.00%
6 Yr Graduation Rate
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
Expected
Actual
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
<800,<2.7
700-799, 2.7-3.0
800-899, 3.0-3.3
900-999, 3.3-3.7
1000+, 3.7+
What predicts retention?
1/3 of variance in retention rate
predicted by institutional factors
A given student more likely to graduate from:
A private institution
A selective institution
An institution with required freshman
residency
A given student is less likely to graduate:
If s/he majors in engineering
From a larger institution
Student characteristics explain 2/3 of variance in
graduation rates; eightfold difference between
highest and lowest group
Source:Astin & Oseguera, 2005. Degree Attainment at American Colleges and Universities
Higher Education Research Institute, Graduate School of Education, UCLA
Which factors predicting retention are
under our control?
Higher selectivity
Required freshman
residency
Source:Astin & Oseguera, 2005. Degree Attainment at American Colleges and Universities
Higher Education Research Institute, Graduate School of Education, UCLA
HSGPA / SAT still predicts grad rate
at UHH even with underperformance
among top students
• Our data suggest a cutoff at 3.3 HSGPA and 900 SAT
29
%
SAT < 900 OR GPA < 3.3
29% graduated within 6 years
40%
SAT > 900 AND GPA > 3.3
40% graduated within 6 years
Recommendations
• Student/ dorm ratio sufficient for a true residential
campus and first year residential program
• Applicants with 3.3 HSGPA and 900 SAT or equivalent
are admitted automatically.
• Applicants not meeting this guideline would submit a 12 paragraph essay with application
• Investigate reviving honors program
• 43% of our 2009 incoming freshmen meet 3.3 and 900
New process, if publicized widely, will attract more and
higher-achieving students, and will increase
retention of current students
(Belanger, C., Mount, J., & Wilson, M. 2002. Institutional Image and
Retention. Tertiary Education and Management, 8: 217-230)
Admissions at HI schools
•
•
•
•
•
•
BYUH: “Academic and personal factors are used to evaluate each applicant
for the purpose of finding the right student fit for our university. To be
competitive for admissions, we encourage applicants to possess the
following: ACT/ SAT of 25/1130 or higher and a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or
higher.” http://admissions.byuh.edu/usfreshmen
Chaminade: “GPA 2.5, SAT 900 (critical reading and math) or ACT 19”
http://www.chaminade.edu/ug/apply-high_school.php
UHM: 510 on each section of SAT or 22 ACT, 2.8 GPA, top 40% HS Rank
http://www.uhm.hawaii.edu/admissions/undergrad/apply/freshman.html
HPU: “We do not use a formula of your GPA, class rank and SAT I /ACT
score to make an admission decision. We take a more holistic approach.
When reviewing your transcripts we consider not just your GPA but also the
strength of your class schedule, SAT I and or ACT results, extracurricular
activities, the personal statement you provide and your academic area of
interest. An admission decision is made based on all of these factors.”
UHH: 3.0 GPA, no SAT requirement. If GPA is below 3.0, SAT can be used
for admission on a sliding scale basis e.g. 2.6 GPA and 820 SAT
PROPOSED UHH: 3.3 GPA, 900 SAT. If either is below, application will
include an essay to be evaluated by the Admissions Committee
Proposed essay requirement
• Only applicants with GPA under 3.3 or SAT under 900 will be
required to submit an essay
– more information on applicants including level of engagement in
HS, which predicts NSSE scores (UGA Institutional Research Office
http://www.uga.edu/oir/reports/2008/AIR2008%20Paper%20FINAL.pdf).
– may increase commitment to UHH (Aronson E. & Mills,J. The effect of severity of
initiation on liking for a group, Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 59 (1959), pp. 177–181.)
– May raise the perceived value of admission: communicates
“selectivity.”
– Research will expose applicant to positive info about UH Hilo.
– Applicants who turn in no essay or a plagiarized essay are likely
to be a poor fit at UH Hilo
– Compensating committee members: way to make up cancelled
course?
• Those not admitted to UHH will be welcomed to 2+2 program
starting at HCC
Implementation






Only institution in the system with an essay option for
those who don’t meet automatic requirements; both good
(distinctive, personal) and bad (implementation hassle)
The essay will be evaluated based on a rubric.
Identifying information will be redacted where possible.
Yearly training/norming sessions
Release, or option for faculty with a cancelled course?
The Admissions Committee will return the results to the
Admissions Office
possibility for flexibility managing freshman enrollment
numbers, but “admitting one percentage point more
of those who apply for undergraduate admission
results, on average, in a decline of .295
percentage point in graduation rates”
(Hamrick, F. A., Schuh, J. H., & Shelley, M. C. 2004. Predicting higher
education graduation rates from institutional characteristics and resource
allocation. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12(19)
Recommendations: MATH
• WI program and new GE address writing; math skills
must be addressed as well
• Recommend discrete math modules during the weeks
before the start of the semester, as well as throughout
the year.
• Refresher, not remediation
• Implementation: Content from math department, delivery
in Kilohana, administration…?
– 1. Should the modules be optional, or mandatory? If they are
mandatory, what is the enforcement mechanism?
– 2. Should the math placement test be mandatory, and should the
results be used to refer students to modules?
– 3. Who signs off on successful completion of a module, and how
is this completion entered into the student's record?
Recommendations: Information
• We don't know what happens to students who leave UH
system
– Institute systematic alumni tracking
– Annual spring semester surveys to capture
intention to leave
• Admissions Committee needs regular access to data
Summary
Recommendations and to-do list:
1. Emphasis on highest “tier” has potential for highest gains in
retention
2. Automatic admission to applicants with 3.3 HSGPA and 900 SAT or
equivalent; committee evaluates essays and applications for the rest.
a)
b)
c)
d)
3.
Math refresher modules. Expected outcome: improved performance and
retention in math prerequisites that are required for many STEM majors
a)
b)
4.
Form next year’s Admissions Committee
Integrate process with Registrar and Admissions Committee
Design and norm rubric for evaluating student essays
Publicize new admissions guidelines together with new GE
Math department designs modules
Discuss delivery and implementation with Kilohana, Registrar
Next year’s Admissions Committee focus:
a)
b)
c)
Committee needs access to data beyond what is publicly available
Bringing graduation rates of the top half of freshmen up to expected rates
Attracting and retaining high achieving students
Extra Info
Admissions requirements at UHH were relaxed about 10
years ago
SAT
510-550
560-610
620-660
670-710
720-760
770-810
820-850
860-890
900-930
940-970
980-1010
1020-1040
1050-1080
1090-1120
1130-1160
1170-1200
1210-1240
1250-1280
1290-1320
1330-1350
1360-1390
1400-1430
1440-1480
1490-1530
1540-1600
ACT 4.0+ 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.0
11
12
13
Post-2000 guidelines added
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Post-2000
30
guidelines added
31
32
33
34
35
Pre-2000
requirement 2.5
GPA, 900 SAT
Graduation rate by HSGPA and SAT: National average and UHH
HSGP
A
Sat
<800
800-899
900-999
10001099
11001199
12001299
1300+
Expected
Actual
% of 2003 incoming freshmen
A, A+
4
51.2
65.2
70.4
75.7
78.9
80.4
82.6
76.80%
45.70%
11.70%
3.7
53.2
52
64.7
69.9
71.7
76.8
75.3
63.00%
37.20%
26.00%
50.50%
30.60%
24.00%
35.00%
26.90%
26.00%
29.00%
32.40%
12.30%
A-
B+
B
B-
3.3
3
2.7
47.3
44.5
35.2
54
43.1
41.1
55.9
47.3
37.4
64.2
54.1
49.8
63.6
55.4
44.5
C+
2.3
29.3
34.5
32.5
33.8
37.14
C
2
20.4
22
16.9
23.2
25
65.6
51.9
43.2
22.4
67.3
51.3
26.7
Attrition from STEM majors (not
including Ag and Nursing)
Attrition from STEM among men and women is similar.