VCU announces guaranteed admission for high-performing students
High school applicants who are in the top 10% of their class are guaranteed admissions. Photo by Kaitlyn Fulmore.
Yen Nhi Nguyen, Contributing Writer
Madison Williams, Contributing Writer
Vali Jamal, Contributing Writer
VCU recently announced a guaranteed admissions policy for students near the top of their class, according to VCU Admissions.
High school students are guaranteed admission if they have a GPA of at least 3.5 or are among the top 10% of their class, according to VCU.
Students who are looking to apply for programs with their own major specific requirements like VCUarts and School of Engineering will not be included in this guaranteed admission program, according to VCU Admissions.
The school’s undergraduate acceptance rate is 91%, according to US News.
VCU saw its biggest freshman class to date this past fall, according to a previous article from The Commonwealth Times.
Michael Porter, associate vice president for VCU public relations, stated in an email the guaranteed admissions program is launched as a pilot.
“VCU expects an increase in admissions,” Porter stated.
With an expected increase in the student body, current students are wondering how this will impact faculty size, housing and classrooms.
Some students expressed concerns about housing situations for upcoming first-year students.
Katherine Nguyen, a musical theater student, said the university doesn’t have room for students in the dorms.
“With the way VCU has already been over admitting students, this seems like a completely counterproductive choice,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said the overcrowding at VCU is evident in Gladding Residence Center III.
“Hearing that the dorm I lived in last year now houses double the people it did before seems really bizarre,” Nguyen said. “The fact that that tiny room was definitely only big enough for one person, now has two shoved into it doesn’t seem sustainable or functional.”
Nguyen also said the decision to lower VCU’s selectivity in admission pushes VCU into a “less prestigious category.”
While guaranteed admission may mean a bigger undergraduate student body, students are questioning whether or not this means an influx in the specialized departments, like VCUarts.
VCU had to house 80 students in hotel rooms this year, because of a lack of space in its on campus accommodations.
Sattviki Chintaluri, a business student, said she thinks VCU is admitting people with higher GPAs to boost the university’s reputation.
“I think that this definitely doesn’t bring a good name to VCU, because it makes it seem like anyone can get in. It’s hard for this school to be taken seriously,” Chintaluri said.
Chintaluri said she is concerned VCU might not be able to give financial aid to students who need it because of the high volume of students.
Despite the increase this past year, VCU has seen its overall enrollment decline by 9% since 2018.
Guaranteed admissions have increased across the country following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in the summer. Universities are no longer allowed to use race-conscious affirmative action when it comes to accepting students.
VCU previously had a guaranteed admissions program in the past for transfer students from the Virginia Community College system who met certain requirements.
