With 55 percent of this year’s freshman class composed of out-of-state students, young Alabama residents may have reason to fear that The University of Alabama will become increasingly difficult to gain admission.
Of the 6,397 in the entering freshman class, the University received more than 26,400 applications for admission, 17,799 of which came from states other than Alabama, UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen said.
The growing interest in the University from out-of-state students allows admissions requirements to become more selective year after year.
According to the national ACT website, Alabama high school students average a composite score of 20.3. The University’s current freshman class, however, does not reflect the average statewide score.
Both in-state and out-of-state students in the class contribute to an overall average composite ACT score of 25.6.
While the University’s admissions webpage claims students applying with a 21 composite ACT score and a cumulative 3.0 GPA should be successful in admission, the figures do not coincide with the statistics of a large portion of Alabama’s current freshman class.
“Some 1,725 freshmen had high school grade point averages of 4.0 or higher,” Andreen said in a press release regarding freshman enrollment.
While most public state schools initially formed to educate students living in the state, stringent admission policies have forced students to look elsewhere for their collegiate experience.
Other SEC schools have experienced the same issue in admitting the average statewide high school student.
The University of Georgia accepted a current freshman class of 4,970 students with a mean GPA exceeding 3.8 and an average ACT score of 28, UGA Public Relations Coordinator Tracy Giese said.
The figures do not match the average Georgia high school student, who acquires a mean ACT score of 20.7, according to the national ACT website.
Georgia resident and UGA student, Stephanie Halpern, said while admission policies get stricter, the typical student population obtains a better reputation.
“More students from my high school have been denied acceptance to UGA with extremely competitive credentials,” Halpern said. “I think admissions is actually boosting the quality and reputation of our school by attracting brighter students.”
David Walston, a junior majoring in economics and finance at Alabama, said while state schools do have an obligation to in-state students, a growing out-of-state population is not always bad.
“I think having a good mix of students is beneficial,” Walston said. “It brings more culture to the school and allows us to meet new kinds of people.”
Both Halpern and Walston agreed that because public schools intended to support its residents as students, in-state students should have an easier time in the admission process.
“From what I know, it is harder for out-of-state students to gain admission, which I don’t generally have a problem with, considering it is a state school and other states have them as well,” Halpern said.
Walston agreed in-state students should be granted admission a bit easier.
“It’s fair to give state residents a leg up in admissions because a large portion of the school’s funding is allocated from the state itself,” Walston said.
