U. of Florida to Open Its Doors to Top 5% of Each High-School Graduating Class

The University of Florida announced last month that it would automatically accept the top 5 percent of each high-school graduating class in the state.

The strategy goes a step further than the state’s guarantee of a seat to the top 20 percent, which was instituted in 2000 after Gov. Jeb Bush banned affirmative action in admissions. The 20-percent plan reserves a seat at one of the state’s 11 public colleges, but not at a particular one, such as the University of Florida. To be placed at a specific institution, students must meet that college’s admissions standards.

At the University of Florida, meeting those standards is getting harder. The university plans to accept only about half of this year’s 26,000 freshman applicants. University officials said the 5-percent plan would bring in about 300 students who would not otherwise be accepted, although the university is still unsure how minority enrollment will be affected.

In 2001-2, the first year after affirmative action was ended, the number of black freshmen at the University of Florida plummeted. Black students make up about 7.2 percent of this year’s 7,000 freshmen, down from 11.8 percent in 2000-1. The number of Hispanic freshmen dropped from 12 percent to 11.1 percent.

http://chronicle.com Section: Government & Politics Page: A22