University of Virginia Library

Women Expand
Echols Program

Eighty-one outstanding high school
graduates have joined the University's
Echols Scholars program this fall, the
Office of Admissions announced.

Representing increased co-education
27 first-year women will participate with
their male counterparts in the program
designed to meet the individual interests
of exceptionally able entering students at
the university.

Last year, the first during which the College
of Arts and Sciences admitted women on a
regular basis, the 80 Echols Scholars included
17 women.

Under the Echols program, begun in 1960,
the scholars are exempt from any specific
course or area requirements, taking instead
courses in whatever fields they wish to study.
They do not need to satisfy normal
prerequisites for advanced courses.

The College selects the scholars on the basis
of outstanding college board scores and
secondary school achievement. More than 95%
of the scholars graduated in the top fifth of
their high school classes.

On college boards, the scholars' mean SAT
verbal scores of 699 and math scores of 710
compare with mean scores of 595 on verbal and
623 on math for all undergraduates in the
College. Slightly more than 50 per cent of the
scholars come from Virginia.

Under the program, the scholars may enter
advanced courses and special seminar classes.
The program permits the students to choose
between studying a wide choice of subjects or
going into a major field of study at the
beginning of their second year.