Louisiana adds another way for students to get into college

Baton Rouge –  Louisiana high school students who want to attend college but don’t quite meet the current requirements now have another way to get in. And Louisiana is the first in the nation to take this step.

The Board of Regents decided that if a student’s GPA or ACT score is not high enough they can still meet admission standards if they pass college-level courses in high school.

Higher Education Deputy Commissioner Tristan Denley says getting more kids to college is a priority

“There’s all the evidence in the world that students who are involved in early college experiences are much more likely to go to college and when they get there are much more likely to succeed, said Denley.

Right now not quite half of Louisiana adults have either a college degree or some kind of other formal training beyond high school. In a poor state, officials are rushing to increase that amount to create more and higher paying jobs.

“We have a statewide goal that in 2030 at least sixty percent of our adult working age population will have some kind of post-secondary attainment,” said Denley.

The Regents have also made it easier for students to transfer from community and technical colleges to four-year universities with a technical associate’s degree.

“Up until now, they’ve not been able to use that credential as a way in which they can transfer to a four-year institution to continue their education,” said Denley.

The change takes effect in the Fall of 2023.