AN ACT Relating to admission standards to institutions of higher education; adding a new section to chapter 28B.10 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.80 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.03 RCW; repealing RCW 28B.10.045, 28B.10.050, and 28B.10.052; and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28B.10 RCW to read as follows:

Starting with the fall term of 1989, the admissions standards for Washington residents shall be as follows:

(1) The University of Washington shall only admit entering freshmen for whom a first-year university grade point average of at least 2.55 is predicted on the basis of high school grades and test scores from either the Washington precollege test, the scholastic aptitude test, or the American college test based on a scale developed by the council for postsecondary education or its successor agency.

(2) Washington State University shall only admit entering freshmen for whom a first-year university grade point average of at least 2.35 is predicted on the basis of high school grades and test scores from either the Washington precollege test, the scholastic aptitude test, or the American college test based on a scale developed by the council for postsecondary education or its successor agency.

(3) The regional universities and The Evergreen State College shall only admit entering freshmen for whom a first-year university or college grade point average of at least 2.15 is predicted on the basis of high school grades and test scores from either the Washington precollege test, the scholastic aptitude test, or the American college test based on a scale developed by the council for postsecondary education or its successor agency.

(4) Students not eligible for admission from high school under subsection (1), (2), or (3) of this section may be eligible for admission after completing a minimum of forty-five transferable quarter credits or their equivalent at a community college, with a grade point average of at least 2.5 and at least thirty-six graded quarter credits or their equivalent.

(5) Each institution may admit a special category group of students, which shall not exceed twenty percent of the entering freshman class at the University of Washington, and fifteen percent of the entering freshman class at the other public four-year educational institutions. This special category group shall be composed of students who do not meet the requirements under subsections (1) through (4) and (6) of this section, but who could benefit from the offerings of the institution of higher education. Institutions shall place a priority on ethnic minority students when admitting students within this special category group.

(6) Students not eligible for admission from high school to a four-year institution may establish transfer eligibility by completing a minimum of forty-five quarter credits or thirty-six semester credits at another four-year institution.

(7) The state universities, regional universities, and The Evergreen State College in consultation with the council for postsecondary education or its successor agency shall develop admission standards for nonresident students consistent with the standards under subsections (1) through (6) of this section.

(8) Any person who has not been enrolled in a secondary school for three or more years is exempt from the provisions of this section.

Institutions of higher education may establish admission requirements and set standards in addition to those under this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring any institution of higher education to accept any student for admission.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.80 RCW to read as follows:

The council for postsecondary education or its successor agency shall assess the impact of the admissions standards established in section 1 of this act and report those findings to the appropriate legislative committees every two years beginning in November 1990.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.03 RCW to read as follows:

The superintendent of public instruction shall ensure that every student in the eighth through twelfth grade is made aware of the admissions standards for all state institutions of higher education.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:

(1) Section 18, chapter 278, Laws of 1984 and RCW 28B.10.045;

(2) Section 28B.10.050, chapter 223, Laws of 1969 ex. sess., section 9, chapter 169, Laws of 1977 ex. sess., section 19, chapter 278, Laws of 1984 and RCW 28B.10.050; and

(3) Section 20, chapter 278, Laws of 1984 and RCW 28B.10.052.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Section 4 of this act shall take effect June 30, 1989.