YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY Conditional admissions to begin in spring 2006

The policy will provide students a good academic foundation, a YSU official said.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University will implement a policy next year to help retain at-risk incoming freshmen.
The conditional admissions policy requires entering freshmen with low high school grade-point averages and standardized test scores to follow a regimen of requirements that YSU officials say will help ease the transition from high school to college.
"It's a step to help identify some of our most at-risk students ... and to help increase their chances of success," said Tod Porter, chairman of a YSU Academic Senate committee that developed the policy. Porter is chairman of the university's economics department.
Who can enter YSU?
YSU is an open admissions university, meaning it accepts any student with a valid Ohio high school diploma or general equivalency diploma.
Under the new policy, students with a high school grade-point average below 2.0, and a composite American College Test score of 17 or below will be conditionally admitted.
"This new policy simply helps us make sure that students have a good academic foundation that will carry them through their first year of college and beyond," said Tom Maraffa, special assistant to YSU President Dr. David C. Sweet.
The policy begins with the spring 2006 semester.
Conditionally admitted students wouldn't be permitted to register for more than 14 semester hours in a single semester, would be restricted to an approved list of courses, and would need the approval of their course schedule by an academic adviser.
Also, these students in their first semester would be required to sign a contract to work with the Center for Student Progress, which offers tutoring and other assistance programs.
Policy in place elsewhere
The policy is consistent with those enacted at other universities, including the University of Akron, Kent State University and Cleveland State University, Maraffa said.
"We want to catch these students early on, make sure they are enrolled in appropriate courses and getting the help they need so they don't end up failing and dropping out," he said.
The restrictions would be removed when conditionally admitted students complete the required developmental courses, obtain six semester hours of nondevelopment courses, achieve good academic standing, and fulfill their obligations with the Center for Student Progress. Also, the students have to file a petition with an academic adviser after the provisions are met to have the restrictions removed.
Much of the new policy is already being handled by academic advisers, Porter said.
"What the policy does is codify the process and send a stronger message to students," he said.
In the 2002 fall semester, there would have been 113 YSU students in this category. By the 2004 fall semester, 60 were still enrolled, and only 20 had grade point averages of 2.0 or better.