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 first-

time 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.

<800,<2.7 700-799, 2.7-3.0 800-899, 3.0-3.3 900-999, 3.3-3.7 1000+, 3.7+ 0.00%

10.00%

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30.00%

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50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

ExpectedActual

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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

<800,<2.7 700-799, 2.7-3.0 800-899, 3.0-3.3 900-999, 3.3-3.7 1000+, 3.7+ 0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

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ExpectedActual

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What predicts retention? 1/3 of variance in retention rate predicted by institutional factors

Student characteristics explain 2/3 of variance in Student characteristics explain 2/3 of variance in graduation rates; eightfold difference between graduation rates; eightfold difference between highest and lowest grouphighest and lowest group

A given student more likely to graduate from:A given student more likely to graduate from:A private institutionA private institutionA selective institution A selective institution An institution with required freshman An institution with required freshman

residency residency

A given student is less likely to graduate: A given student is less likely to graduate: If s/he majors in engineering If s/he majors in engineering From a larger institutionFrom a larger institution

Source:Astin & Oseguera, 2005. Degree Attainment at American Colleges and UniversitiesHigher Education Research Institute, Graduate School of Education, UCLA

Which factors predicting retention are under our control?

Higher selectivity Higher selectivity

Required freshman Required freshman residencyresidency

Source:Astin & Oseguera, 2005. Degree Attainment at American Colleges and UniversitiesHigher 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

SAT < 900 OR GPA < 3.3 SAT > 900 AND GPA > 3.340% graduated within 6 years

SAT < 900 OR GPA < 3.329% graduated within 6 years

40%29%

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 1-2 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

SummaryRecommendations and to-do list: 1. Emphasis on highest “tier” has potential for highest gains in

retention2. Automatic admission to applicants with 3.3 HSGPA and 900 SAT or

equivalent; committee evaluates essays and applications for the rest. a) Form next year’s Admissions Committeeb) Integrate process with Registrar and Admissions Committeec) Design and norm rubric for evaluating student essaysd) Publicize new admissions guidelines together with new GE

3. Math refresher modules. Expected outcome: improved performance and retention in math prerequisites that are required for many STEM majors

a) Math department designs modulesb) Discuss delivery and implementation with Kilohana, Registrar

4. Next year’s Admissions Committee focus:a) Committee needs access to data beyond what is publicly available b) Bringing graduation rates of the top half of freshmen up to expected ratesc) Attracting and retaining high achieving students

Extra Info

Admissions requirements at UHH were relaxed about 10 years ago

SAT 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 2.0 510-550 11

560-610 12

620-660 13

670-710 14

720-760 15

770-810 16

820-850 17

860-890 18

900-930 19

940-970 20

980-1010 21

1020-1040 22

1050-1080 23

1090-1120 24

1130-1160 25

1170-1200 26

1210-1240 27

1250-1280 28

1290-1320 29

1330-1350 30

1360-1390 31

1400-1430 32

1440-1480 33

1490-1530 34

1540-1600 35

Pre-2000 Pre-2000 requirement 2.5 requirement 2.5 GPA, 900 SATGPA, 900 SAT

Post-2000 guidelines added

Post-2000 guidelines added

HSGPA

Sat <800 800-899 900-999 1000-1099

1100-1199

1200-1299

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%

                 

A- 3.7 53.2 52 64.7 69.9 71.7 76.8 75.3

                  63.00% 37.20% 26.00%

B+ 3.3 47.3 54 55.9 64.2 63.6 65.6 67.3

                  50.50% 30.60% 24.00%

B 3 44.5 43.1 47.3 54.1 55.4 51.9 51.3

                  35.00% 26.90% 26.00%

B- 2.7 35.2 41.1 37.4 49.8 44.5 43.2 26.7

                  29.00% 32.40% 12.30%

C+ 2.3 29.3 34.5 32.5 33.8 37.14 22.4  

                 

C 2 20.4 22 16.9 23.2 25    

Graduation rate by HSGPA and SAT: National average and UHH

Attrition from STEM majors (not including Ag and Nursing)

Attrition from STEM among men and women is similar.