Prairie View A&M University, the state’s other historically Black university, may serve as a model for the new system. That school requires a score of 820 on the SAT or a 17 on the ACT and a 2.5 grade-point average. Applicants who do not meet those standards can earn admission by completing a summer program on campus.
Texas Southern also runs an eight-week summer program for unprepared students, but participation lags because there is no incentive with open admissions, university officials said.
Texas Southern employed the same admissions requirements as the University of Texas at Austin until the late 1960s, when predominantly white schools began luring Black students with scholarship offers. The university dropped its standards to maintain enrollment.
Some people who oppose the stricter standards said they could lead to a sharp enrollment decline. But Rudley said be believes raising the bar for admission would improve the school’s image and attract new students.
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