Just saw this:

"Beginning fall 2009, a minimum recalculated grade point average (gpa) of 2.6 will be required."

also

"FAU will use the highest subscores from multiple test dates to create the ACT composite and the SAT total. FAU will use the best subscores to satisfy the required scores for admission purposes. The writing section of the SAT will be used in the selection process beginning summer 2009. The minimum total SAT score will be 1390 (or by the old SAT system, 926) or a composite score of 20 on the ACT."

This is actually a little higher than UF:

"A combined score of at least 1330 on the critical reading, math and writing sections of the SAT (with writing), with a minimum score of 440 on each. Effective with the 2009 entering class, the university will begin considering the writing portion of the SAT. On the ACT With Writing, a composite score of 19 is required with a minimum of 17 on the English subsection, a minimum of 19 on the math subsection and a minimum of 18 on the reading subsection. ACT scores without the Writing component cannot be used for freshman admission decisions."

(Although of course their freshman class profile is still much higher than ours)

I think the goal should be a minimum GPA of 3.0, SAT of 1500 (1000 old version) but with minor exceptions based on community service, individual essay, letters of recommendation, and/or athletics

This is interesting. Unfortunate for FAU, the number of applicants to FAU isn't high enough to end up with an avg GPA of 3.75, like UF. So FAU has to do this.  We have discussed this before. The only thing a "selective" university has over a "less selective" university is number of applicants. The "less selective" university might even be a better school all around, but with less applicants, its going to get the lower designation.

I don't think any of the other FL universities has entrance requirements like this. All others depend on quantity of applications.

This is a good arguement for the traditional campus vs the commuter school. Boca Raton is not a major city. When FAU was completed the population of Boca Raton was about 10,000. I'm not sure I95 was in place in So FL yet either. I don't think the state's intention was for FAU to be commuter school. Who in the hell would put a commuter school in a city of 10,000 people? In 1969 FAU has an enrollment of about 5,057 and housed over 1,000. Thats about 20%, which is high. A some point someone decided to stop building dorms. FAU was allowed to become a commuter school and in my opinion, it isn't working.  Students bail out to FAU after they get turned down by FSU and UF then bolt after one or two sememsters. FAU has the second lowest avg GPA in the state, above FAMU.

As FAU becomes what it should have been all along, a traditional campus, it will attract more students and
these higher entrance requirements will ensure better students attend FAU and graduate in less than 6 years. 

I'm glad FAU is doing this. Not only is it going to help our reputation, but it's also going to help our admissions office's work load. Last semester, they had a record breaking 11,000 applicants and only 5,200 were admitted. I actually just wrote an Op-Ed about that.

As our non-academic profile continues to grow (student life, athletics, campus recreation center, alumni center, Innovation Village, etc.) our academic profile will grow as well. And visa versa.

Also, with Treasure Coast STATE College and Broward College and probably Palm Beach College in the future each giving out Bachelors degrees, we can afford to up our requirements and improve our own reputation.

smittysahoot said

Last semester, they had a record breaking 11,000 applicants and only 5,200 were admitted. I actually just wrote an Op-Ed about that.

Oh yeah? Where? Special contribution to UP online…?

Anyway, FAU absolutely has to do this. I wouldn't be surprised if they upped it to 2.8 in the near future. I think applications are going to keep increasing because not only are there plans for new developments like the stadium but also because we have so many people now who are enjoying their experience here and they're going to tell their friends. Word of mouth is very important. As an example, I've had high schoolers in New York ask me how FAU is because they heard this and that about campus life here. All the way in New York.

The other thing is attracting more out of state people who want to go to a Florida college. FAU is right on the beach, it's in a safe town, now it's building up the residential student population… why NOT come here? One thing that may be an impediment is the lack of a good virtual tour on the website. If you're in Pennsylvania or New York or Wisconsin and you can't get down here to see the campus in person, a good virtual tour like the one on the Princeton webpage can still motivate you enough to feel comfortable about applying here.

We do have a virtual tour but it's clunky and you have to dig to find it… I'm trying to help them make a better one…

It also is a huge help that the other schools are basically freezing their undergrad admissions.  With a growing state population that means that more and more good students will not get into FSU or UF will begin looking elsewhere.  We need to try and get more kids from Orlando and Tampa that want to live away from their parents.

owlcountry said

Oh yeah? Where? Special contribution to UP online…?

A project I'm working on.  ;)

SeminOWL2006 said

It also is a huge help that the other schools are basically freezing their undergrad admissions.  With a growing state population that means that more and more good students will not get into FSU or UF will begin looking elsewhere.  We need to try and get more kids from Orlando and Tampa that want to live away from their parents.

Agreed. Our two main selling points could be "get away from your parents" (in-state) and "get away from the cold" (out-of-state).