The purpose of the Program of Special Directed Studies (PSDS) is: (1) to identify a group of secondary school seniors and recent graduates with marked intellectual ability and potential for academic attainment whose achievement, as measured by standard tests and school records, is inadequate to secure admission to degree programs at accredited and…

Issues in selective admissions in Australia and especially in Victoria are reviewed. Administrative and policy issues are analyzed and some of the consequences of an imbalance between supply and demand are addressed. (MLW)

The Commission's recent eligibility study showed that university eligibility rates for African American and Latino high school graduates increased substantially between 1996 and 2003. Although this is welcome news, eligibility rates do not tell the full story about access to a university education. Because a lower proportion of African American…

The major challenges of college admissions directors and their staffs will center on the number of newly arriving students, the extent and record of their academic preparation, and their likely rate of on-time graduation. Tests will become increasingly important whether they are administered before or during the enrollment stage. (MLW)

Required changes--in compliance with the Supreme Court's Bakke decision--in university law school admissions programs are examined. The position of the Society of American Law Teachers is presented. (Journal availability: Fred B. Rothman & Co., 10368 W. Centennial Rd., Littleton, CO 80123, $6.50.) (MSE)

The concept of equal educational opportunity in Germany has been limited by traditions of class rigidity and elitism. Faced with inordinate demand for admission, the German response has been to institute a limited admission policy. Generous financial aid and a policy of unlimited time for study have exacerbated admission pressures. (MLW)

In June 1979 the United States Supreme Court issued a civil rights opinion about handicap discrimination. A summary of the ruling is provided along with an effort to distinguish between those questions addressed and resolved by the Court and those discussed but not disposed of. (Author/MLW)

Discussion of the agenda for research and practice in graduate and professional education identifies and discusses five arenas for assessment; demand; admission criteria; program quality; persistence; and student learning outcomes. Specific questions to be addressed and additional considerations are noted for each arena. (MSE)

Questions whether the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities are admitting large numbers of black students who are not capable of competing with their white classmates and if admission double standards are doing more harm than good. The article is followed by editorial comments addressing the author's position on mismatching. (GR)

A study investigated the criteria used by graduate students to choose a business administration program. Findings indicate a significant relationship between students' selection criteria and personal background characteristics such as race (white, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, black, Asian American), citizenship status, and gender. (MSE)

In answer to sweeping reform of public schools in Oregon, the state's colleges and universities are adopting proficiency-based admissions, designed to measure how much applicants know instead of how many courses they took in high school. Observers praise the higher education community's cooperative response to school reform efforts. (MSE)

In a study of the ways colleges and universities regard prior learning of military service members who apply for admission to undergraduate degree programs, 66 colleges evaluated prototype transcripts and assessed problems in awarding degree credit. A number of problems are seen as needing to be addressed by both schools and the military.…

Study of students (n=546) from two colleges found selective college students procrastinated more. Academic procrastination was motivated by task aversion at selective college, by fear of task failure at nonselective college. Nonselective college procrastinators more often used both legitimate and nonlegitimate excuses. Excuses were self-generated…

A highly individualized admissions process allows Essex Community College (Maryland) to identify talented and motivated students whose prior academic work might make them ineligible for honors at other institutions. The curriculum is designed around innovative honors sections of regular courses that challenge students intellectually and help…

A survey of 794 program directors in 14 specialties assessed actual and projected changes in the selection process for medical residents and determined the relative weights the directors assigned to personal and academic criteria. Results indicate significant changes in the selection process, including a continuing decrease in residency positions…