The document discusses the "Top 10%" rule in Texas which guarantees students graduating in the top 10% of their high school class automatic admission to any public university in Texas. It was implemented in 1997 in response to a court ruling banning affirmative action. While improving diversity, it puts strain on UT-Austin's flexibility and attracts fewer out-of-state students. There are arguments that it encourages segregation and causes students to transfer schools for easier classes. The UT president and some studies argue for abolishing the rule to produce a more well-rounded student body.

1. The Texas "Top
10%" Rule
[The impact on Students' Admission
into The University of Texas at Austin]

2. What is the “Top 10%” Rule?
0 A law that guarantees Texas students graduating from a
school in Texas (public or private), who are amongst the top
10% of their senior class, automatic admission into any
public university in Texas.
0 Students are still required to take the SAT/ACT, but they're not used
in determining their admission.
0 Must be put into use 2 preceding academic years or less from high
school graduation
0 Starting in 2008-09, freshmen must also graduate under the more
demanding Recommended or Distinguished Achievement high
school graduation plans to gain automatic admission under the 10
percent rule.
0 Only 2 other states, California & Florida, use percentage
admissions
0 California: top 4% can automatically get into any University of
California system universities
0 Florida: top 20% to one of the 11 state universities

3. Purpose of the Rule
 To maintain racial, economic, & geographic diversity
 Serves to be race-neutral through enhancing equality &
fairness to students residing all over Texas

4. Historical Background
0 Called Texas House Bill 588
0 Passed in 1997 & went into immediate effect the following
year
0 Was a response to the Hopwood v. Texas decision
0 A case challenging affirmative action
0In 1992, Cheryl Hopwood was denied acceptance into UT's law
school after being a better candidate than many of the minorities
accepted
0U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th circuit banned universities against
using a student's racial or ethnic background as a factor among
admissions decisions
0After much debate, it ruled that UT’s affirmative action plan was
unconstitutional. Minority rates dropped dramatically. In order to
counteract the loss of diversity, the “top 10%” law was implemented.

5. Pros & Cons of “Top 10%” Plan
0 Pros:
0 Improved diversity
0 Students from a cross-section of communities are guaranteed
acceptance
0 Class rank used as the basis for admission
0Instead of biased criteria like SAT scores
0 Cons:
0 “Window dressing”
0Most students who qualify would have been accepted into the
college of their choice anyway
0 Success of policy depends on the continued existence of
racially segregated neighborhoods and schools
0Doesn’t factor in the potential for residential integration
0 Policies still exclude the most disadvantaged students

6. The “Top 10%” Plan in
Regards to The University of
Texas at Austin.

7. Why the Demand for The University of Texas
at Austin Versus Other State Universities?
0 Nearly 40% of all Texas students who qualify for automatic admission
under the 10 percent rule apply to UT-Austin.
0 The Top 10% rule currently applies to Texas A&M and other state
schools, but they are not facing the same level of demand that UT now
faces.
0 http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-
colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public
 2014 UT ranked 1st before any other Texas public University (ranked
16th overall, A&M ranked 25th)
0 UT-Austin has surveyed Texans on what they find so appealing. They
consider UT-Austin an elite school on par with the Ivies.
UT-Austin
Other

9. The Effects of the Rule on UT Austin
0 More students apply to UT than can be accommodated for (with
or without the Top 10% law)
0 In 2008, there were over 29,500 applications for a freshman
class capacity of about 6,800

10. The Effects of the Rule on UT Austin
0 Deprives the university of flexibility in admissions
0 Focuses on class rank only
0 Forces students to transfer into different, “easier”,
high schools to receive admission into UT
0 25% of students from across Texas transferred high
schools to make the top 10% cut
0 It lowers objective standards
0 Cheating the system
0 Remedial courses

11. True Diversity at UT Through
“Top 10%” Rule?
0 University officials at UT claim that the plan puts a strain
on the university’s ability to shape its classes, leaving less
traditional students, such as artists or writers, outside the
system.
0 Texas is a major immigrant‐receiving state, and it has
already been declared a “majority‐minority” state by the
US Census Bureau News
0 Even as diversity in Texas’ higher education institutions
has returned to or slightly exceeded levels that existed
pre‐Hopwood, percentages of minority high school
graduates have skyrocketed, accounting for the slight
increase of minority students attending UT

13. Effects on Out-Of-State Students at UT
0 UT is lagging far behind its’ public university rivals in
attracting top-quality students from around the nation, and
the “Top 10%” Law plays a big factor
0 Out-of-state students at Ohio State University= 15.7%
0 Penn State University= 36.1%
0 The University of Wisconsin at Madison= 37.8%
0 UT, on the other hand, had an entering freshman class that was
just 8.3% out-of-state.
0 “I believe the University has an interest in attracting well-
qualified students from all over the place. Diversity of all
kinds is important.” – Senator Kel Seliger, R- Amarillo
(Chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee)

14. Performance at UT on Top 10% versus
Non-Top 10%
Source: UT Students’ Admissions’ Research

15. Conflict Perspective on “Top
10%”
0 Inequality in the school system due to benefitting the
rich and powerful at the expense of the poor
0 Continued reliance on the plan for diversity outcomes
in fact encourages such segregation.
0 The Ten Percent Plan counteracts the goals of school
integration by disadvantaging minority students who
attend integrated schools while privileging those who
attend “majority minority” schools.
0 It also is harming the minority because 25% of Texas
high school students are transferring different high
schools in order to secure a spot in the top 10%
0Affluent students moving to poorer schools

16. Tracking
0 As early as middle school, students are placed on a
certain course path that they will follow up until high
school
0 Through tracking, its determined which students will
end up being in the top 10% and which ones won’t

17. Tracking

18. Westlake vs. Fox Tech
0 Two students were compared with their performances
in their schools
0 The student at Fox Tech was in the top 10% with a 3.2
GPA
0Went to UT
0 The student at Westlake was NOT in the top 10% with a
3.9 GPA
0Didn’t get accepted into UT
Is the “Top 10%” plan unfair?

19. The “Brain-Drain” Theory
0 Students take the easy way out
0 Registering for easy classes
0 Transfer to less-demanding schools
0 Takes away opportunity from hard-working students in
affluent schools
0 It interferes with the tracking system

20. UT President’s Opinion on Top
10% Rule
0“We will be a university with no place for the
outstanding musician, actress, or dancer. Without
international students who have so much to teach us
from their home cultures. Without the student body
presidents, newspaper editors, and gifted leaders
who are in the 11th percentile of their classes.” – The
University of Texas at Austin’s President, Bill Powers
(2008)

21. From Top 10%- Top 7% & Decreasing
Source: The University of Texas at Austin
Office of Admissions

22. Effects of the Decrease in
Top 10% Percentages

23. Policy Recommendation
0 Abolish the general “Top 10% Rule” at The University of
Texas completely for the next upcoming freshman class &
onwards
0 Depend solely on the holistic review
0 Academic achievement, personal achievement, special
circumstances
0 Thus leading to…
0 Producing more well-rounded students at UT
0 Increasing diversity
0 No longer solely dependent on class rank
0 Increasing the percentage of international/ out-of-state
students

24. Functionalist Perspective on
Policy Recommendation
0 It would create a more, well-rounded University as a
whole, because students with more to offer than just a
class rank would get the chance of admission into UT
0 Nation-wide, it will put all students around the U.S. on
even ground
0 Put a stop to “brain-drain” resulting in students
staying on the right “track”

25. Relevance of Policy
Recommendation in Regards to
National Education
0 Higher education is critical to the Texas economy because
it is the key to providing a highly qualified work force in an
increasingly technical world. Higher education also helps
to meet specific local and regional employer demands for
skilled employees.
0 The University of Texas at Austin’s prestige speaks for
itself. Being national ranked amongst the top universities
nation-wide, UT prides itself on the ability to gain diverse,
well-rounded students from all over; students who have
the potential to change the world. With the hinder of the
top 10% plan, UT is not allowed full ability to shine at their
fullest potential.

26. Questions and/or comments?