Oregon Public Broadcasting

Students applying to college will need a higher grade-point average to automatically be admitted to the University of Oregon starting next year. 

Automatic admission guarantees a spot to qualified students.

Members of the state Board of Higher Education say they approved the new admission standards to provide more flexibility for students.

Board member Joe Holliday is also an assistant vice chancellor in the Oregon University System.  

Holliday: “Raising the GPA for automatic admission limits somewhat the number of students who would be granted automatic admission.  It would leave more room under the general admission requirements for them to choose students who they think could be the most successful based on a variety of factors.”

The Board of Higher Ed raised the GPA to 3.4 for automatic admission for applicants to the University of Oregon starting next year.

There’s also a regular admission process where students must have at least a 3-point-0 GPA and undergo a comprehensive review that considers their classes and test scores.

Freshman enrollment at the U of  O is at  record levels and officials hope the higher admission standards will give the school more control over those numbers.