Opinion

Automatic admissions for top ranked students must remain

A statue of George Washington stands near the University of Texas Tower at the center of campus in 2012. A 2017 study found that the median family income at UT Austin is more than $120,000, when the state median income was around $56,000. less A statue of George Washington stands near the University of Texas Tower at the center of campus in 2012. A 2017 study found that the median family income at UT Austin is more than $120,000, when the state ... more Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Automatic admissions for top ranked students must remain 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The high school experience of public school students in Texas is far from equal. A continued effort is needed to maintain a level playing field through an automatic admissions program for students who graduate at the top of their class.

The wealth among school districts varies significantly. The state’s inability to establish a public school finance system that establishes parity has resulted in some severely underresourced schools.

The state’s 10 percent rule, adopted in 1997, gave students in the top 10 percent of their graduation class automatic admission to any Texas university.

The legislation has played a strong role in equalizing access to the state’s flagship schools, where only 40 percent of all applicants gain admission. The automatic admission rule has helped ensure minority students, students from rural and inner-city schools, and those on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder all get a shot at admission.

The University of Texas at Austin remains the four-year public university of choice for Texas high school graduates. The school received 51,000 applications for admission last fall. Due to its growing applicant pool, the school has been allowed to modify the 10 percent rule so it can cap its automatic admission at 75 percent of the total freshman class.

UT President Gregory L. Fenves last month announced that students applying for fall 2019 admission will have to rank in the top 6 percent of their graduation class to qualify for automatic admission. The increased competition for admission to UT will likely fuel renewed discussions about repealing the top 10 percent rule.

Several issues need to be addressed before that can be discussed.

Texas needs to invest more money in higher education to allow more of its public universities to reach Tier One status and to provide students with more higher-education choices.

More important, the state’s festering public school finance problems must be addressed so all students have an equal opportunity to education.