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No Diploma? No Problem; College Doors Open: Some Universities Don't Require ACT, SAT

Posted on: Monday, 12 June 2006, 12:00 CDT

By Laren Weber, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

Jun. 12--Some area high school graduates might not be in the mood to celebrate if they knew that they didn't need a diploma or its equivalent to go on to college.

And those who graduated with honors or near-perfect SAT and ACT scores might be at least a little disappointed to know that a high school diploma is about all a student needs to be considered for admission at most area universities.

Of 10 area universities contacted by The Blade, only one - Adrian College in Michigan - has a stated minimum ACT test score and grade point average (GPA) requirement for admission.

Most have policies that specifically state a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate is required. Beyond that requirement, however, not much else is stated in college admissions documents or by admissions staff.

Nationwide, about 300,000 students who didn't graduate from high school are enrolled in college, which is about 1.6 percent of the country's undergraduate population, said Paul Hassen, director of public affairs at the American Council on Education in Washington.

"Just because you didn't graduate from high school or get a GED doesn't mean you don't have the ability" to attend college, said Bill Ivoska, vice president of student services at Owens Community College.

Owens, with campuses in Perrysburg Township and Findlay, and Northwest State Community College near Archbold are among 23 community colleges that are required by the Ohio Board of Regents to consider enrollment for all students who apply. That includes those who haven't graduated from high school or who don't have a GED certificate.

Only about 5 percent or just over 1,000 of the approximately 20,500 students attending Owens do not high school diplomas.

Mr. Ivoska said the difference between Owens and a selective institution is "we would allow a student the opportunity to take developmental education courses, raise their skill level, and move forward on the pathway toward a better education and, therefore, a better job. A selective university would simply say, 'No, you are not allowed to be admitted.' They deny you the opportunity."

A high school diploma is required before students are admitted to the University of Toledo, but it is also an open enrollment institution.

All Ohio residents are admitted to the university regardless of ACT scores and grade point averages.

"We do not deny Ohio residents," said Jennifer Kwiatkowski interim director of freshman admission.

"We are able to admit them regardless of the scores," she said.

Tiffin University, Lourdes College, Hillsdale College, and the University of Findlay also don't have minimum ACT score or GPA requirements.

But at Adrian College, a four-year, private institution in Lenawee County, Mich., scores matter.

The university has a minimum ACT score and GPA requirement for admission, which include at least a 20 out of a possible 36 on the ACT and a 3.0 GPA, said Carolyn Quinlan , Adrian's director of admissions.

"[We set minimums] because we want guidance counselors, students, and parents to have an idea of what we're looking for," she said.

Although most Ohio public universities require students to take the ACT, many in the state don't set minimum score requirements for admissions because students often misinterpret the information.

By having those standards, students automatically think if they meet those minimum requirements, they will be accepted to the university.

But that's not always the case, said Gary Swegan, director of undergraduate admissions at Bowling Green State University.

Although BGSU had minimum requirements between 1991 and 1994, "it just simply didn't seem to work," Mr. Swegan said.

Ohio State University, which receives nearly 19,000 applications each year, has a similar approach to admissions.

Despite the large volume of applicants, each application is reviewed "holistically," said Marco Chavez , OSU admissions counselor.

"Every application, whether they have a 16 or a 32 ACT, we look at rigorously," Mr. Chavez said.

"We realize each student is unique, and we don't want to disqualify students automatically by setting minimums because there may be circumstances surrounding that low test score. There is no magic number that will get a student in or keep a student out."

Contact Laren Weber at: lweber@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Blade

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