Latest news with #UATX
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas university argues college admissions policies are 'unjust,' touts new 'meritocratic admissions' policy
The University of Austin in Texas (UATX) believes college admissions are "unjust," so the school is going to do something about it. "What we've done is create the most meritocratic admissions policy in the country," UATX Dean Ben Crocker told Fox News Digital. He continued, "We do not want high school seniors to be performing in their essays unpacking a vast list of shallow co-curriculars and extracurriculars." UATX announced on Monday that students who score over a 1460 on the SAT, over a 33 on the ACT or over a 105 on the Classic Learning Test (CLT) are automatically admitted to the university, "pending basic eligibility and an integrity check." The Ohio State University 'Sunsets' Offices Amid Ongoing Review Of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Work The UATX explained further that students who perform below that threshold will be evaluated on test scores along with Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam results, and "three verifiable achievements that are each described in a single sentence." The university is currently unaccredited. It was founded in 2021 by a group of academics and notable figures, including former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss, after they raised concerns about the decline of free speech across college campuses. Read On The Fox News App While its inaugural students are not eligible for federal financial aid, the university has had significant support from private donors, including billionaire Bill Ackman and activist Harlan Crow, allowing it to offer free tuition to its first cohort. "We just want to know, are you intelligent? Are you brilliant? And are you committed to building a great university with us? Our criteria is very simple. We're not interested in whether you're the right gender, the right race, the right ethnicity, it is merit first for us," Crocker said. Ag Bondi Dismisses Dei Lawsuits Brought Against Police, Fire Departments Under Biden Administration Crocker also cited the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, rejecting the use of race as a factor in college admissions as a violation of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. "Chief Justice Roberts, in his majority opinion, said, if we're going to eliminate racial discrimination, then we have to eliminate all of it. He said all of it. But what we've seen since that decision was handed down is that our elite universities have not," Crocker added. In the wake of the SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action as well as President Donald Trump's crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), many universities abandoned DEI programs. Furthermore, some universities reinstated requirements for undergraduate applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores after dropping the testing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some universities had previously claimed that standardized tests raised concerns about inequality in higher education. "We're trying to instigate a revolution in American higher education," Crocker told Fox News Digital. "It's an American revolution in the sense that we see it as a return to the way things ought to be. We're not trying to radically reinvent everything, but we are trying to take what's best about education in the United States: meritocracy, excellence, the sense that you need to build something for the good of the country."Original article source: Texas university argues college admissions policies are 'unjust,' touts new 'meritocratic admissions' policy
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Texas university argues college admissions policies are 'unjust,' touts new 'meritocratic admissions' policy
The University of Austin in Texas (UATX) believes college admissions are "unjust," so the school is going to do something about it. "What we've done is create the most meritocratic admissions policy in the country," UATX Dean Ben Crocker told Fox News Digital. He continued, "We do not want high school seniors to be performing in their essays unpacking a vast list of shallow co-curriculars and extracurriculars." UATX announced on Monday that students who score over a 1460 on the SAT, over a 33 on the ACT or over a 105 on the Classic Learning Test (CLT) are automatically admitted to the university, "pending basic eligibility and an integrity check." The UATX explained further that students who perform below that threshold will be evaluated on test scores along with Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam results, and "three verifiable achievements that are each described in a single sentence." The university is currently unaccredited. It was founded in 2021 by a group of academics and notable figures, including former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss, after they raised concerns about the decline of free speech across college campuses. While its inaugural students are not eligible for federal financial aid, the university has had significant support from private donors, including billionaire Bill Ackman and activist Harlan Crow, allowing it to offer free tuition to its first cohort. "We just want to know, are you intelligent? Are you brilliant? And are you committed to building a great university with us? Our criteria is very simple. We're not interested in whether you're the right gender, the right race, the right ethnicity, it is merit first for us," Crocker said. Crocker also cited the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, rejecting the use of race as a factor in college admissions as a violation of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. "Chief Justice Roberts, in his majority opinion, said, if we're going to eliminate racial discrimination, then we have to eliminate all of it. He said all of it. But what we've seen since that decision was handed down is that our elite universities have not," Crocker added. In the wake of the SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action as well as President Donald Trump's crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), many universities abandoned DEI programs. Furthermore, some universities reinstated requirements for undergraduate applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores after dropping the testing requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some universities had previously claimed that standardized tests raised concerns about inequality in higher education. "We're trying to instigate a revolution in American higher education," Crocker told Fox News Digital. "It's an American revolution in the sense that we see it as a return to the way things ought to be. We're not trying to radically reinvent everything, but we are trying to take what's best about education in the United States: meritocracy, excellence, the sense that you need to build something for the good of the country."
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UATX to offer automatic admissions based on test scores, citing 'unjust' national model
Denouncing the U.S. college admissions system as biased, broken and "unjust," Austin's newest higher education institution — a private startup-inspired university serving its first class of undergraduates this year — will now automatically admit candidates based on test scores. The University of Austin's automatic admissions threshold, a "Merit-First Admissions" policy announced Monday, will automatically admit applicants who score greater or equal to 1460 on the SAT, 33 on the ACT, or 105 on the CLT (Classic Learning Test) ― roughly the top 5% of test takers, Maggie Kelly, communications and admissions manager for the self-styled UATX, said in written responses to the American-Statesman's questions. The scores are comparable to the neighboring University of Texas, as well as Georgetown University and the University of Michigan, according to College Simply, an online tool that helps students evaluate their admissions potential. As demand to attend elite U.S. institutions has swelled in the last few decades, college admissions processes have ballooned to a "holistic review," which include evaluations of essays, extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation in addition to scores and grade-point averages. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 barred race-conscious admissions, also known as affirmative action, ruling in favor of defendants who argued that it discriminated against white and Asian students, but the court still allowed colleges to take a student's lived experience into consideration. The University of Austin ― made famous for its rejection of current "illiberalism and censoriousness" in higher education and promising to lead an institution focused on academics, pursuit of truth and civic values — said in a post on X that the system of admissions under which other colleges operate "rewards manipulation, not merit." "We believe this is the most meritocratic and transparent admissions policy in the country," Kelly said. "There's no better time to offer students a serious alternative to the increasingly performative college admissions process." Students who are auto-admitted into UATX must still meet basic eligibility standards and an integrity check. The integrity check involves one letter of recommendation, disclosing disciplinary or criminal histories to ensure "each admitted student meets our high standards, including honesty, responsibility, and readiness." A final high school transcript or GED will also be required to show completion of primary education, but the GPA is not factored into admission decisions, UATX's webpage states. If students don't reach the scores outlined by UATX, they will be evaluated on test scores, advanced placement and International Baccalaureate test scores and three "verifiable achievements, each described in a single sentence." The university has been "inundated" with messages from relieved students and parents, Kelly said, adding that the university is confident in its capacity planning and doesn't anticipate capacity to be an issue. "UATX isn't for everyone — and that's the point. We're building something rigorous and real for students who are ready to be challenged in small seminars and without grade inflation," Kelly said. Automatic admission isn't new to Texas. Under state law, public universities in the state automatically admit the top 10% of Texas high school graduates with the exception of UT, which has an automatic admissions rate of the top 6%, though it will be lowered in fall 2026 to 5% due to rising demand. Additionally, UT-Austin removed its test optional policy last year, citing data that shows test scores are a "proven differentiator" in identifying the strongest academic potential and who could benefit from more support, and 90% of students took a college admissions exam before the change in policy anyway. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in fall launched a "Direct Admissions" initiative to let students self-report their grade-point average and standardized test scores and see which of the state's 31 public universities that opted in will accept them. More: Texas launches tool allows high schooler students to see which colleges can accept them But proponents of holistic admissions say that relying on test scores boosts prospects for privileged students while slighting historically marginalized students who lack the same access to resources. A Harvard study in 2019 found that test scores should be contextualized with socioeconomic status, as wealthier students benefit from access to better tutoring in or out of school and can afford to take the test multiple times. Another Harvard paper in 2023 found that students with families in the top 1% of wealth were 13% more likely than low-income students to score a 1300 or higher on the SAT test. Kelly said holistic admissions can also disadvantage low-income students who cannot afford or access extracurriculars or college application coaching. "Every student deserves to be evaluated as an individual," Kelly said. "By removing essays, GPA, and padded activities, we eliminate much of the performance theater and give all students a shorter, meritocratic, transparent path." UATX is not an accredited institution, but it's in the process of becoming accredited, and it received permission by the state's Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2023 to grant degrees. The new institution has promised free tuition to its current class and its class of 2029, calling students courageous "founders" helping them pave an alternative way forward for higher education at-large. Users on X praised the UATX decision, with some saying it will remove stress for their children and "let kids be kids." In a video on social media, UATX criticizes college admissions as performative, and it states that its application only takes 7 minutes. UATX admissions applications for the fall semester will close April 15, and students can apply for free. "We care about two things: Intelligence and courage," UATX's post said. "College admission should be earned—not inherited, bought, or gamed. At UATX, your merit earns you a place—and full tuition scholarship." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Rejecting 'holistic' admissions, UATX to auto-admit class per SAT, ACT
