George Washington Carver changed the world with his inventions and ideas. The once poor and underprivileged ISU alumnus is the quintessential example of Iowa State’s land grant ideal — with access to higher education for all, even the most disadvantaged can become successful.

University officials are worried it could become harder for people like Carver to walk through the university’s door.

A bill is before the Iowa Senate Education Committee proposing the Board of Regents, in cooperation with the Department of Education, conduct a study looking at the advantages and disadvantages of establishing higher admission standards for the state’s three public regent universities.

Iowa State, the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa are required under state law to accept Iowa high school graduates who are in the top half of their class and take a minimum number of college preparatory classes. Yet, students in the bottom half of their class can be admitted if their ACT scores are high enough.

“I’d be very careful about considering a proposal to raise admissions requirements above 50 percent,” ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said before the board at its Dec. 16 meeting. “There are a lot of students who are extremely qualified who are close to that 50 percent cutoff.”

There are both advantages and disadvantages to raising standards.

“On the positive side, it promotes taking a more rigorous high school curriculum,” said Marc Harding, director of admissions.

He said it could boost graduation and retention rates, but with a caveat.

“You could prevent access to higher education for some students,” Harding said. “It could potentially disproportionately affect students in small school districts that don’t have many resources.”

There is evidence as well to support giving opportunities for enrollment to students who do not meet standards.

Iowa State is the only regent institution that gives an option of enrolling in a summer trial program program for high school graduates who didn’t meet admission requirements and demonstrate a reasonable chance for success.

Students take six credits of study the summer before the semester in which they plan to enroll. If they meet a certain grade point average and don’t receive below a C-minus in any class, they can attend classes in the fall.

“They perform at a rate consistent with the student body — with people who met the requirements,” Harding said. “It’s a proven program that if students who don’t meet requirements are provided that opportunity, they do extremely well at Iowa State.”

Increased requirements would shrink an already small pool, he said, since there is a marked decrease in demand because of fewer graduating seniors in Iowa.

Debate has spread across the state about preparedness for college among Iowa high school seniors.

“I fear we are admitting many students into the universities who have no prospect of success, partly because their ACT scores are low; partly because of poor high school preparation,” said Iowa Provost Michael Hogan at the Dec. 16 regents meeting.

Reports from state education agencies show a large number of high school graduates perform poorly during their first year of college and are ill-prepared for the rigors of a college education.

Of the entering ISU freshmen in the class of 1998, 15.6 percent left after their first year and 7.9 percent left after the second year. Only 28.5 percent graduated in four years, 31 percent graduated in five years and 6.3 percent graduated in six years, according to regent documents.

Despite these numbers, Iowa received a grade of B-plus nationally for high school preparation for college in 2004 from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.