U of M colleges to tighten admission standards

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- This year's high school seniors might have to study a little harder if they want to attend the University of Minnesota.

Beginning this application season, three colleges will no longer automatically admit students who apply by Dec. 17 and meet the school's academic requirement.

Instead, the Carlson School of Management, General College and the College of Human Ecology will assess students individually to keep enrollment in fall 2002 slightly lower than it will be this fall. The Institute of Technology, meanwhile, will set the admission bar higher, raising what it takes on a combined entrance exam and class rank score to gain automatic admission.

Wayne Sigler, the university's director of admissions, said the school strives to admit about 5,000 first-year students each year. This year, he said, the university expects to seat between 5,200 and 5,300 because more applicants met the criteria for automatic admission.

The increase can be attributed to a 15 percent increase of students applying by the deadline and meeting academic requirements.

"This year it was 90 percent," Sigler said.

As a result, all three colleges and the Institute of Technology admitted many more students than they had planned. Human ecology, for example, will see a first-year class this fall that is 54 percent higher than expected.