This week, Rice adds ED II and recommends test scores, Emerson College announces cuts, UNC updates its test requirements, the Education Department appoints the head of the College Board to oversee the new FAFSA, the University of Rochester receives a substantial gift, and California moves toward a financial penalty for legacy admissions.
Rice University has announced the addition of an Early Decision II plan to its admissions policy. The college is also now recommending (but not requiring) that applicants submit standardized test scores. Early Decision II applications will be due January 4th, with students receiving a decision in mid-February.
Low enrollment for the 2024-2025 academic year is causing Emerson College in Boston to cut faculty and staff and limit hiring. The college cites the disruption of student protesters, the FAFSA debacle, and bad press as reasons for the dip.
The University of North Carolina has updated its standardized testing requirements for upcoming admissions cycles. Applicants are not required to submit test scores for the upcoming application cycle; students applying for the 25-26 and 26-27 admissions cycles will be required to submit scores depending on their GPA.
The Education Department has appointed Jeremy Singer, the president of the College Board, to oversee the rollout of next year’s FAFSA. Singer, a technical solutions expert, was the force behind the development and launch of the new digital SAT. In the wake of delays and technical glitches in the launch of last year’s FAFSA, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona promised Congress that the form will be ready this cycle.
The University of Rochester announced Thursday that it has received a $50 million gift for its medical center from entrepreneur Thomas B. Golisano. The donation–the largest gift in the university’s history–will fund the Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute, a new transdisciplinary center at the university.
California is poised to pass legislation that would fine private universities for admitting students based on legacy. The bill has cleared the state assembly and is moving on to the state’s Senate Education Committee; if it passes, California will become the first state with such a financial penalty system in place.
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