Admission standards remain competitive
The University of Indianapolis has been growing steadily ever since it opened its doors in 1902 and now is the educational institution for 4,200 undergraduate students and 1,200 graduate students.
Although the campus is growing, admission standards have stayed fairly constant, according to Director of Admissions Ron Wilks.
“I think they [admission standards] have evolved over the years, but I wouldn’t say there have been drastic changes,” Wilks said.
Wilks said that, in fact, UIndy has not necessarily made changes by choice, but more as a result of a trickle-down effect.
“We’ve had to adapt to new curriculum that is coming out of the high schools,” Wilks said. “High schools are more focused on getting students prepared for college.”
Wilks said that admissions officers look at many factors when sifting through all the applications.
“We look at what kind of curriculum you [students] took in high school and how successful they look like they’ll be in the college environment,” Wilks said.
Wilks also said that UIndy is not only interested in what will make students look better on paper. UIndy is also interested in helping high school students who might find it difficult to get accepted.
“We’ve always had different categories for students, ranging from distinctive education students to regular admits,” he said. “But historically we’ve been an institution that is willing to take a chance on a few students that may be late bloomers, so that we can build them a support system.”
Wilks said that UIndy works to help the students it takes a chance on and assists them in a number of ways.
“Data suggest higher retention rates for first-year students who live on campus for at least the first year,” he said. “We also try to manage their hours [so] as to not overwhelm or underwhelm new students.”
However, this does not mean that UIndy is willing to accept anybody who applies.
“We make sure not to accept too many students who may not fully meet the requirements we look for, so we do have a wait list right now,” Wilks said. “We do this so we can manage to give our students the personal help and resources they need.”
In fact, a new opportunity for incoming students recently has been put into action. Incoming students who already have paid their fall tuition but were not able to meet certain proficiency requirements will be able to take online courses over the summer such as Math 090 and Science 090. Taking these courses online over the summer will give these students an opportunity to meet requirements before the fall semester begins, which helps the students stay on track to graduate on time.
Keeping pace with admissions, the UIndy Office of Financial Aid has not been affected by increased enrollment, according to Associate Director of Financial Aid Heidi Carl.
“As UIndy grows, so does our funding for financial aid and for UIndy specific scholarships,” Carl said.
Wilks emphasized that the more students do while still in high school, the easier college will be. He said that his suggestions for anyone looking to apply to UIndy are by the book.
“Just make an effort to take challenging courses and keep your GPA up,” Wilks said. “Also, try to take classes with dual credits to help give yourself a taste of what college will be like.”
