Southern Drops Higher Admission Standards

Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr. says the university is no longer planning to toughen its student admission requirements this year.

Last year, Southern had planned to increase the minimum GPA standard from a 2.0 to a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale and to phase in the minimum ACT test score from a 20 to a 22 by 2012. But after facing opposition from the Faculty Senate and others, the decision was made to delay implementation until 2011.

Mason, who became president last summer, said Tuesday the toughened standards are being indefinitely delayed.

The Advocate reports Mason said that the focus is on doing a better job of retaining and graduating students under the current admission standards, at least until the state mandates stricter entrance requirements.