California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office released a report detailing recommendations drafted to help the University of California fulfill the California Master Plan for Education. The Feb. 13 report, titled “Maintaing the Master Plan’s Commitment to College Access,” calls for the university to redirect admitted students to the California Community College system on a voluntary basis, reduce the number of UC-ineligible students accepted and re-examine existing eligibility standards.

According to the report, the University of California allows up to 6 percent of its enrollment to consist of “special admits,” or students who don’t meet the university’s normal eligibility requirements but show strong academic potential or bring some other element to the university. The report recommends reducing the special admit percentage to the 2 percent level previously outlined in the Master Plan. However, UC officials say that the university already admits nearly 2 percent.

“We currently have 1.8 percent freshman applicants who are admitted by exception and 2.7 percent of our transfer applicants [are also admitted by exception],” UC spokesman Hanan Eisenman said. “But we do support keeping that number [of allowed special admits] at a 6 percent level.”

According to UCSD director of admissions Mae W. Brown, 12 students currently enrolled at UCSD were special admits.

“The reason for special admits has to do with the enactment of the new visual and performing arts requirement, and some students didn’t quite take the right sequence,” Brown said. “But we purposely made a decision given that we were turning away eligible students that it was inappropriate for us to admit [more than a few] ineligibles.”

The Master Plan calls for the University of California to accept any UC-eligible students who graduate in the top 12.5 percent of their high school class. The report also contends that the university currently enrolls students outside the top 12.5 percent of each high school graduating class. According to the report, the university requires that students take the Scholastic Aptitude Test I or the A.C.T., and at least three S.A.T. IIs to be considered part of the top 12.5 percent. The same report showed that an additional 8 percent of California high school graduates were eligible and had comparable grade point averages but did not take all the S.A.T.s. The report contends that because this 8 percent is not counted amongst UC eligibles, the university currently admits many students outside of the top 12.5 percent and could still fulfill the Master Plan even if new enrollment is reduced.

According to Brown, the faculty has found that standardized testing is an important part of the evaluation process.

“The University of California has always used a combination of subjects, GPA and the appropriate college admissions tests,” Brown said. “Just two years ago, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools undertook a review of the testing policy and they once again affirmed the important role of tests in establishing eligibility.”

The California Public Education Commission is expected to complete a report on university enrollment by May 15, after admission decisions for the current year are made.

Under the legislative analyst’s plan, the university would also redirect admitted students to the community college system for two years, while in return guaranteeing admission to their first choice campus. According to Eisenman, voluntary enrollment in the community college system is already university policy.

Eisenman said he was also concerned about the legislature’s role in determining eligibility requirements for the university.

“For the university’s entire history, the Regents have held authority over admissions,” Eisenman said. “They have delegated to UC faculty, subject to approval, the authority to determine who’s eligible for the university. … It’s OK for the state to set broad goals, but it’s a problem for the state to set specific goals — we don’t see how it would help to take that away from the faculty.”

The Feb. 13 report can be found at http://www.law.ca.gov/2004/college_acces/021304_college_access.pdf.