Analysis of Inequities in the Requirements for Admission to the University System of Georgia Analysis of Inequities in the Requirements for Admission to the University System of GeorgiaThe requirements of the University System of Georgia’s (USG’s) admission policy for applicants who prepared in accredited or regulated high schools (accredited applicants) are different than those for applicants who prepared in a program which is not accredited or regulated (non-accredited applicants). Accredited programs are those accredited by one of the regional accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Board of Education or accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. Non-accredited applicants include students with a Graduation Equivalency Diploma (GED), most students from home study programs, and students from high schools, such as parochial schools, that, usually by choice, are not accredited. Of these legitimate, non-accredited secondary programs, many provide innovative, individualized curricula and instructional methods distinct from those offered by government-operated secondary schools.
All sections of this report concern admission requirements for programs leading to the Baccalaureate degree. All but one concern policies that apply to first-time freshmen or to those who have not earned the equivalent of 30 semester hours (about one school year) of transferable college credit. The exception is the section titled "Undergraduate Admission Requirements for Transfer Students."
This report outlines and contrasts, point-by-point, the admission policy for accredited applicants with that for non-accredited applicants.
Generally, the USG institutions will consider course credits and grades on a transcript only for graduates of an accredited or regulated high school. The course credits of applicants who have attended but not graduated from an accredited or regulated high school are given no consideration in satisfying CPC requirements.
Because the USG will not consider grades or transcripts from non-accredited programs that choose to award grades, it considers other measures when evaluating non-accredited applicants. Many programs do not award grades. Home study programs in particular may find that course grades are arbitrary for their students. The reason is that students in home study programs especially (but in other non-accredited programs as well) can work to mastery in the topics studied without the constraint of schedules and without being limited to curricula designed to meet the needs of an age-specific cohort of all students.
Throughout this report, the admissions policy is measured against the Board of Regent’s (BoR’s) own requirements. Appendix A includes statistical analyses of the fairness of the policy for non-accredited applicants. Under "Recommendations", the measures appropriate for evaluating non-accredited applicants are listed and the proper test of the fairness in an admission policy, which requires different measures for evaluating different groups of applicants, is explained.
The sources of the information that are paraphrased or quoted herein are the Academic Affairs Handbook, Sections 3.01-3.12, as posted on the USG web site named www.usg.edu/admin/accaff/handbook/section3/301-312/3.01-3.12.html#3.01, last updated on January 7, 1998 and the Policy Direction On Admissions, adopted by the Board of Regents, June 14, 1995, and posted on the USG web site named http://www.usg.edu/admin/oc/directives/admiss.html. The admissions policy for accredited applicants is described in the USG’s handbook under "Freshman Requirements". The admissions policy for non-accredited applicants is described in the USG’s handbook under "Exceptions to Freshman Admission Requirements for Special Groups of Students".
The paraphrased and quoted information is italicized and, if this is a color copy, red. The information included here from the USG’s Academic Affairs Handbook is necessarily abridged. Please refer to the USG’s publications for the complete text. HEIR comments are not italicized. The comments emphasize contrast, illuminate unstated or under-stated ramifications, and supply relevant data not included in the Academic Affairs Handbook.
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