Provost Reports: Fall ‘ 05 Admissions & “ D-Rule ” Faculty Senate Meeting The University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR February 15, 2006 Bob Smith Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, The University of Arkansas

FALL 2005 NEW FRESHMEN PROFILE OF ADMITTED APPLICANTS February 15, 2006

“ D-Rule ” Report “Old” “D” Transfer Rule Applies to UA students enrolled prior to January 1, 2004 Petition to Faculty Committee on Admission & Transfer of Credit (FCATC) for “ D ” credit FCATC makes final decision Accepted “ Ds ” are for general transfer credit only Petitioner must appeal to his or her college to have “ D ” -graded work counted toward degree

“ D-Rule ” Report cont ’ d “New” “D” Transfer Rule Effective for students enrolling at The U of A for 1st time after 1/1/04 Basic Requirements: Students must have cumulative 2.0 or greater GPA on a 4.0 scale Courses must meet general education core or elective requirements in student’s degree program Courses outside the degree program & courses in the major cannot be considered for transfer If accepted, courses count for general transfer & toward the student’s graduation requirements

“ D-Rule ” Report cont ’ d Since January 1, 2004, how many students requested transfers? “ Old ” rule: 45 petitioners requested transfers of 54 “ D ” grades; FCATC approved 30/54 “ D ” grades (56%) “ New ” rule: 106 petitioners requested transfers of 148 “ D ” grades; FCATC 29/148 (20%); 3rd Level Admin Review 117/148 (66%)

“ D-Rule ” Report cont ’ d Since January 1, 2004, of the students & hours requested for transfer, how many involved athletes? Eighteen (18) athletes petitioned for 28 courses under the “ New ” rule The FCATC recommended approving 11/28 (39%) “ D ” -grade transfers & recommended denying 17 “ D ” -grade transfers The 3rd Level Admission Committee approved all 28 courses for transfer

“ D-Rule ” Report cont ’ d How many petitioners were from each college (under the “ New ” rule)? Arts & Sciences = 41 Education & Health Professions = 40 Business = 13 Agricultural, Food, & Life Sciences = 9 Architecture = 3 Engineering = 3 Total = 109

“ D-Rule ” Report cont ’ d What were some of the reasons used in seeking transfer of “ D ” grades (under the “ New ” rule)? Didn ’ t feel grade represented capabilities & learning in course Course was too hard or unfairly administered Grades in other courses were above “ D ” Needed credit to graduate Needed to save money Have particular problems with certain subjects (e.g., math) Needed courses for NCAA eligibility

“ D-Rule ” Report cont ’ d Are there any statistical significant differences among petitioners and non-petitioning transfer students in weighted grade point average or average semester hours taken (under the “ New ” rule)? Based on available information of transfer students who have completed a semester at the U of A: “ New ” rule approved petitioners: weighted grade point average = 2.70; average semester hours earned = 9.7 hours Total transfer student population (excluding approved petitioners above) for like terms: weighted grade point average = 2.81; average semester hours earned = 8.7 hours While the sample size for petitioners is small, there is no statistically significant difference between the average GPA of those who petitioned and those who did not.

Provost Reports: Fall ‘ 05 Admissions & “ D-Rule ” Faculty Senate Meeting The University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR February 15, 2006 Q/A