The Region - News from Feb. 28, 1985

The California State University system announced in Long Beach that it has lowered its entry standards to make about 8,500 more high school graduates eligible for admission next fall. Under the state’s Master Plan for Higher Education, the 19-campus Cal State system must admit freshmen from the top 33% of high school graduates. However, only 29.6% of California’s 230,000 high school graduates met university standards for the 1984-85 school year, a recent study found. The state universities use a combination of grade-point average and scores on either the Scholastic Aptitude Test or the American College Test to determine eligibility. Previously, a student needed a grade-point average higher than 3.2 for admission. Under the new plan, 3.1 is required. A student with a 2.0 grade-point average must now score 1,400 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT. The schools previously required a 1,472 SAT score or 33 ACT score. Assistant Dean Ralph Bigelow said students still must fulfill such requirements as a minimum of four years of English and two years of mathematics.