1. qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui
opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghj
klzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn
An Analysis of the Potential Impact
mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty
of Higher Admissions Standards on
Currently Admitted Students in Fall
uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg
2011
hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvb
Applying State of Louisiana Standards
nmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert
[July, 22, 2011]
Dillard, University, Office of Institutional Research
yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf
ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcv
bnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer
tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd
fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcv
bnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer
tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghj
klzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn
mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty
uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg
hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvb

2. The adjustment of admissions standards for entry into institutions of higher education
may affect the quality and quantity of students admitted to various institutions. It is
assumed that Dillard University is no different. Changes in the admissions standards for
entry into Dillard may alter the composition of its student body over time.
At the request of Office of Enrollment Management, the Office of Institutional Research
initiated a narrowly focused assessment of the impact higher admissions standards would
have on new first-time freshmen admitted to Dillard for the Fall 2011 semester. To that
end, analyses were performed on 1700 plus individuals admitted for that term. The
question raised is how many students would not be admitted to Dillard based on adjusted
admissions criteria?
Raising admissions standards may have direct and indirect impacts on the institution.
Directly, the cohorts admitted after implementation of new standards may differ
significantly from those already attending the university. Indirectly, over time, the
retention and graduation rate may increase. Also, expectations of a more challenging
academic environment may accompany the entry of higher achieving students. And,
given the potential impacts cited above, the latent issue is what impact higher standards
would likely have on overall enrollment, especially in the short-term?
The Office of Enrollment Management proposed two sets of criteria for assessing the
potential impact, (1) State of Louisiana Regional Institutions Admission Criteria; and (2)
Page | 2

3. State of Louisiana Statewide Institutions Admission Criteria. Specifications for these
criteria are listed below:
Regional Institutions Admission
Criteria
High school GPA of 2.0 or greater
OR
ACT composite score of 20 or
greater OR
High School graduation rank 50%
of class AND
Require no more than one
developmental course
Statewide Institutions Admission
Criteria
High school GPA of 2.5 or greater
OR
ACT composite score of 23 or
greater OR
High School graduation rank 25%
of class AND
Require no more than one
developmental course
Methodology
The data analyzed in this report were obtained from the Dillard University admissions
database on July 15, 2011. The data contain 1756 records. The records are freshmen
applicants admitted to the university. Table1 shows that of the 1756 students, 1722
submitted their high school grade point average (GPA); 1223 submitted ACT scores; and,
414 submitted class rankings. While high school class rank is a part of the criteria, since
only 24 percent of admits submitted their class rank scores no analysis was performed on
this data element. Moreover, for the purpose of this analysis persons in need of
Page | 3

4. developmental course are defined as those who score 17 or less on the ACT English
section and 19 or less on the ACT Math section. Persons who score below these numbers
on both sections are classified as requiring more than one developmental course.
Table 1.
Dillard University
Office of Institutional Research
Distribution of Admitted Students by High School GPA, ACT Composite Score, and Class
Rank
Fall, 2011
Number of Percent of
Admits Admits
High School
GPA 1722 98.1
No High School
GPA 34 1.9
Total 1756 100.0
ACT Scores 1223 69.6
No ACT Scores 533 30.4
Total 1756 100.0
Class Rank 414 23.6
No Class Rank 1342 76.4
Total 1756 100.0
Findings
The impact of the admissions criteria vary according to the individual decision rules of
each criterion, as well as the combination of two or more of them. The results indicate
that, under the regional requirements, GPA alone would have little impact on the
admissibility of current students. Table 2 shows that 1705 (97 %) of current admits meet
the 2.00 or above GPA requirement. Since the rule states 2.00 or greater GPA or a 20 or
Page | 4

5. greater ACT composite score, there would be little change in admits even when
composite scores are considered. On the other hand, had the rule stated “and” rather than
“or” the impact would be significantly different. Excluding the 553 cases without ACT
scores, of the 1233 that submitted scores, 445 (36%) of those individuals would qualify
on ACT alone. This represents 25% of the total cohort. 439 individuals would qualify
under either criterion.
Table2.
Dillard University
Office of Institutional Research
Impact of Regional Institutions Admission Criteria on 2011 Freshmen Admits
Number
of Percent of
Admits Admits
2.00 Plus GPA 1705 97.1
Less than 2.00 GPA 17 1.0
No GPA 34 1.9
Total 1756 100.0
ACT Composite
20 or greater 445 25.3
19 or
less 778 44.3
No
score 533 30.4
1756 100.0
ACT Composite
Submitted Score
20 or greater 445 36.4
19 or
less 778 63.6
1223 100.0
ACT Composite ACT Composite Grand
19 or
20 or greater less Total
2.00 Plus GPA 439 769 1208
Less than 2.00 GPA 6 9 15
Page | 5

6. Total 445 778 1223
After examining the impact of the first two criteria, an analysis was performed on the
third criterion, need for developmental courses. The results in Table3 show that when the
requirement of no more than one developmental course is applied, the number of eligible
admits with a GPA greater than 2.00 declines by 452, meaning only 1253 of the original
group are admissible. Overall, the proportion of current admits that are eligible drops to
71 percent.
Table3.
Dillard University
Office of Institutional Research
Impact of Regional Institutions Admission Criteria on 2011 Freshmen Admits
Developmental Courses
No One Two Total
Developmental Developmental Developmental
2.00 Plus GPA 281 475 452 1208
Less than 2.00 GPA 6 6 3 15
Total 287 481 455 1223
The data clearly show that current Dillard admits would not be affected by the rules
pertaining to regional institutions if the requirement did not include no more than one
remedial course. That requirement would eliminate more than one-quarter of admits.
This figure more than likely represents an undercount of the number that would be
ineligible, as this analysis only eliminates those admits who submitted ACT scores. As
indicated earlier over 500 cases did not have ACT scores at the time the data were drawn.
Page | 6

7. The more stringent statewide rules would reduce the number of current admits even more
whether ACT requirements were omitted. Table 4 shows that one-in- five (20%) admits
would not qualify under the 2.5 GPA rule. 1403 or 80 percent would remain eligible.
However, if ACT scores were the lone criteria, only 8% would be eligible. Additionally,
138 (8%) would be eligible under either criteria.
Table4.
Dillard University
Office of Institutional Research
Impact of Statewide Institutions Admission Criteria on 2011 Freshmen Admits
Number
of Percent of
Admits Admits
2.50 Plus GPA 1403 79.9
Less than 2.50 GPA 319 18.2
No GPA 34 1.9
Total 1756 100.0
ACT Composite
23 or greater 149 8.5
22 or
less 1074 61.2
No
score 533 30.4
1756 100.0
ACT Composite
Submitted Score
20 or greater 149 12.2
19 or
less 1074 87.8
1223 100.0
ACT Composite ACT Composite Grand
22 or
23 or greater less Total
2.50 Plus GPA 138 870 1008
Less than 2.50 GPA 11 204 215
Total 149 1074 1223
Page | 7

8. Table 5 shows that when the no more than one developmental course criterion is applied,
an additional 355 admits would be ineligible. Thus, bringing the total number of
ineligible admits to 708 (40%).
Table5.
Dillard University
Office of Institutional Research
Impact of Statewide Institutions Admission Criteria on 2011 Freshmen Admits
Developmental Courses
No One Two Total
Developmental Developmental Developmental
2.50 Plus GPA 263 390 355 1008
Less than 2.50 GPA 23 91 101 215
Total 286 481 456 1223
Like the previous analysis, the results indicate that most current Dillard admits would
qualify for statewide admission based on grade point average alone, but that number
would be reduced significantly after application of the developmental criterion.
Conclusion
This report began by asking the question whether higher admissions standards would
impact the admissibility of current admits to Dillard. In conclusion, State of Louisiana
admission standards would have a significant impact on reducing the number of admits to
Dillard. A large minority of Dillard’s current admits would not be eligible under state
requirements. The primary obstacle to students gaining eligibility would be the
requirement that admits require no more than one developmental course. As a large
majority of Dillard’s admits would meet state GPA requirements, a large segment would
not meet test score requirements. Thus the adoption and implementation of standards
similar to the state would in all likelihood have an immediate short-term effect on student
enrollment. While this report narrowly focuses on admits and is not intended to provide a
Page | 8

9. comprehensive assessment of the impact higher admissions standards are likely to have
on the university, nevertheless, it is plausible to conclude that any act that results in a
significant decline in student enrollment is likely to have a ripple effect throughout the
university. That being said, what are some of potential impacts such a policy is likely to
have on the institution?
The current fiscal stress which the university is experiencing would be exacerbated by a
significant decline in enrollment, which is likely to occur due to the likelihood of a
shrinking pool of admits, even if the yield rate holds constant. Fewer enrollees is likely
to affect tuition and fee revenues generated. That may perhaps necessitate some type of
action to replace lost revenues that may occur. Additionally, lower enrollment may
trigger another round of academic program reviews to identify viable programs,
deployment of faculty and staff resources, as well as facilities utilization. These are but a
few entities that may be affected by a change in admissions standards. This report
recommends that any attempt to adopt and implement more challenging admissions
standards take a comprehensive approach and investigate the potential such standards are
likely to have on various components of the university.
Page | 9