UC regents on Sept. 23 increased the minimum high school grade point average required for UC freshman eligibility from 2.8 to 3.0, effective with the fall 2007 entering class.

The regents acted in response to a recent report by the California Postsecondary Education Commission that found 14.4 percent of California public high school graduates achieved UC eligibility in 2003, up from 11.1 percent in 1996. The California Master Plan for Higher Education sets UC's target at 12.5 percent.

While the 14.4 percent finding was good news about the improving academic preparation of public school students, it also obliged the UC faculty to develop a plan to bring the university's requirements into closer conformance with the Master Plan. The final proposal, based on the faculty recommendations, was sent to the board by UC President Robert Dynes.

The regents' vote was 14-6.

Because GPA is calculated on the basis of the UC-required "a-g" courses taken in the sophomore and junior years, the regents' action gives entering high school sophomores a clear sense of what will be expected if they are to achieve UC eligibility when they enter college in 2007. The minimum required GPA will remain at 2.8 until that year.

However, students should view the 2.8 and 3.0 levels purely as a minimum, not as a final goal. In reality, about 75 percent of UC-eligible applicants present GPAs of 3.5 or more, and admission to many UC campuses generally requires a high school GPA much higher than 3.0. Achieving UC eligibility historically has guaranteed a student a place somewhere in the UC system, though not necessarily at the campus of choice.

"For students, these adjustments essentially mean that they need to continue working hard, taking challenging courses in high school and achieving in those courses to the best of their ability," said M.R.C. Greenwood, UC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

It is estimated that increasing the minimum GPA from 2.8 to 3.0 will remove approximately 700 to 750 students from the UC eligibility pool. In 2003, more than 48,000 students were UC-eligible.

The Academic Senate's proposal focused on adjustments in high school GPA, rather than an increase in minimum test scores or other changes, because simulations showed that adjustments to GPA were the most effective way to increase the expected UC academic performance of the eligible class and had the least negative impact on populations that are now underserved at UC.

The GPA proposal adopted by the regents is available at: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/sep04/304.pdf.