Eligibility plan affects enrollment

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By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff

Two years ago, a new university program told high school seniors
that if they placed in the top of their high school class, they
would have guaranteed admission to one of the 10 campuses.

The results are in: modest increases in the numbers of
underrepresented students applying to the UC, and the doubling of
applicants from rural areas in the state, both of whom the program
intended to benefit.

Eligibility in the Local Context ““ also known as the
four-percent plan ““ passed through the Board of Regents in
1999, granting admission to students in the top four percent of
their high school class based on UC-required courses, though not
necessarily at the campus of their choice.

ELC went into effect with the freshman class of fall 2001, and
after two years of existence, the number of applicants to the UC
under the plan increased by 20 percent, from 9,110 for 2001 to
10,905 for 2002.

In terms of underrepresented students, fall 2002 ELC made up
17.3 percent of Latino applicants, 2.8 percent of African American
applicants, and 0.6 percent of American Indian UC hopefuls.

However, the numbers do not indicate students applying
exclusively under the ELC. The state’s Master Plan for Higher
Education dictates that the top 12.5 percent of California high
school seniors are eligible for the UC, so many students may fall
in this category as well as the top four percent of their high
school.

ELC was designed to create a path to the UC for students
attending under-performing high schools in the state, who satisfy
academic requirements but do not fall into the 12.5 percent segment
because of low school quality.

Many university students, faculty and administrators were
concerned about the drop in minority admits and applicants after
SP-1 and SP-2 passed in 1995, banning the use of affirmative action
in admissions and hiring. In response, the UC approved ELC and
dramatically stepped up its outreach efforts.

It is estimated that the plan stimulated about 2,065 new
applications, though in 1999 the UC had hoped to make 3,600
additional students eligible.

“(ELC) puts the UC at the local level and puts a
college-going vehicle within their grasp,” said Hanan
Eisenman, a spokesman for the UC Office of the President, which
compiled the figures.

Though high schools are not required to participate in the
four-percent plan, in 2002 98 percent of public and 78 percent of
private high schools participated in the program.

The university also hoped to increase the number of applicants
from rural areas of California ““ such as the north state and
San Joaquin Valley ““ and rural residents accounted for 13.9
percent of ELC applicants, double the rate among non-ELC
students.

Since passing the program in 1999, the regents have been busy
clearing other paths to UC admission. Last November, the board
passed Comprehensive Review, designed to add weight to personal
achievement and life challenges in addition to academic
achievement.

In July, the regents approved the Dual Admissions Plan, so that
students who did not place in the top 12.5 percent of the state or
the top four percent of their high school would be guaranteed a
spot in the UC if they attended two years of community college and
completed the appropriate courses for their intended major.

Despite the advances in admissions, some regents questioned the
readiness of students benefiting from the ELC and Dual Admissions
plans.

“Many of these students are coming from very poor
(schools) that never sent a student to the UC,” said Regent
Ward Connerly, at the July meeting. “It’s going to
require some really intense preparation.”