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51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ regents on Sept. 23 increased the minimum high school grade point average required for 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ freshman eligibility from 2.8 to 3.0, effective with the fall 2007 entering class.

The regents acted in response to a recent report by the California Postsecondary Education Commission that found 14.4 percent of California public high school graduates achieved 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ eligibility in 2003, up from 11.1 percent in 1996. The California Master Plan for Higher Education sets 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's target at 12.5 percent.

While the 14.4 percent finding was good news about the improving academic preparation of public school students, it also obliged the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ faculty to develop a plan to bring the university's requirements into closer conformance with the Master Plan. The final proposal, based on the faculty recommendations, was sent to the board by 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ President Robert Dynes.

The regents' vote was 14-6.

Because GPA is calculated on the basis of the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ-required "a-g" courses taken in the sophomore and junior years, the regents' action gives entering high school sophomores a clear sense of what will be expected if they are to achieve 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ eligibility when they enter college in 2007. The minimum required GPA will remain at 2.8 until that year.

However, students should view the 2.8 and 3.0 levels purely as a minimum, not as a final goal. In reality, about 75 percent of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ-eligible applicants present GPAs of 3.5 or more, and admission to many 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ campuses generally requires a high school GPA much higher than 3.0. Achieving 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ eligibility historically has guaranteed a student a place somewhere in the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ system, though not necessarily at the campus of choice.

"For students, these adjustments essentially mean that they need to continue working hard, taking challenging courses in high school and achieving in those courses to the best of their ability," said M.R.C. Greenwood, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

It is estimated that increasing the minimum GPA from 2.8 to 3.0 will remove approximately 700 to 750 students from the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ eligibility pool. In 2003, more than 48,000 students were 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ-eligible.

The Academic Senate's proposal focused on adjustments in high school GPA, rather than an increase in minimum test scores or other changes, because simulations showed that adjustments to GPA were the most effective way to increase the expected 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ academic performance of the eligible class and had the least negative impact on populations that are now underserved at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.

The GPA proposal adopted by the regents is available at: .