The
average GPA was 4.24 (weighted for honors and Advanced Placement
courses), up from 4.23 last year. The raw GPA (unweighted for honors
and Advanced Placement) was 3.78, up from 3.77 in 2002;
The
average number of semesters of honors and AP classes taken was 18.6;
The
average score on the SAT I was 1332, up from 1321 last year;
For
the three SAT II exams, the average writing score was 667, up from
663 last year; the math average was 685, up from 679; and on the
third exam, chosen by the student from a list of specified subjects,
the average score was 691, up from 683.
Ensuring
that UC remains both accessible and welcoming to underrepresented
minority students has been a concern since the 1997 passage of Proposition
209, which bans consideration of race, religion, sex, color, ethnicity
or national origin in admissions decisions at California’s
public universities. Similar concerns have surfaced across the nation
as universities in Michigan, Texas, Florida, Virginia and other
states attempt to achieve equitable admissions processes that meet
the public demand for fairness while protecting the educational
benefits that derive from a diverse student body.
Comprehensive
review is not, however, a backdoor attempt to get around
the constraints of Prop. 209, as some have asserted, UC’s
Wilbur says. She notes that a student’s self-reported gender
and ethnic identity remain confidential; CUARS makes its admissions
decisions without any knowledge of applicants’ race or ethnicity.
“Comprehensive
review was intended to achieve a fair admissions policy in a highly
competitive environment,” says Wilbur. “It has achieved
that goal.”
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