University of Virginia Library

Popularity

Mr. Ern cites three reasons for Virginia's
increasing popularity. The sharp rise in tuition
costs at private institutions is sending more and
more students in the direction of
state-supported, less expensive schools.
Coeducation has had a profound effect since it
doubled the potential applicant pool by
allowing women to apply, and made the school
more attractive to a greater number of men.
Thirdly, Mr. Ern points to the University's
"prestige" as a drawing factor.

The recent Student Council report on
expansion cited the increased number of
applications as being a result of the lowering of
standards in terms of College Board scores and
"the University's increasingly permissive
admissions policy," as well as coeducation.

As it stands now, the policy is to "offer
admission to every qualified Virginia male."
(After next year there will be no quota on the
number of women.) The definition of the word

"qualified" - a rather nebulous term to begin
with - has perhaps shifted downward with the
increased pressure from the state legislature,
since the financial allocations are predicated on
head count.

In considering an applicant, the admissions
committee considers the student's class rank as
the most substantive information by which to
judge his accomplishments. His College Board
scores provide "a common external
experience," according to Mr. Ern. He relates
that for the coming year, "a greater percentage
of our entering students are standing in the top
two deciles of their graduating class." The
teacher and counselor recommendations are
also given a considerable amount of weight.