Admissions

At least 375 colleges have space available for fall 2012 enrollment of qualified freshmen or transfer students, according to this year's "space availability" survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. That represents a sharp increase over last year's figure of 279, and the prior year's 240. But there were several years starting in 2000 where the number of such colleges was over 330. The survey involves only four-year institutions. Of those reporting space available, 70 percent are private.

An American Bar Association panel reviewing law school accrediting requirements is divided on whether to continue to mandate that law schools use the Law School Admissions Test. The panel has agreed to put forward two versions on the issue: one that continues the requirement, and one that does not. Statements attached to current versions of the accrediting proposal praise the LSAT, but differ on whether it is appropriate for an accrediting body to require any particular admissions test. It is unclear how many law schools would drop the LSAT if they had that option (while maintaining ABA accreditation), but some law schools have already sought waivers for some applicants, and test-optional admissions policies have become popular with many undergraduate institutions.

Brazil's Supreme Court has upheld the use of racial quotas by universities, AFP reported. The case before the Supreme Court concerned the University of Brasilia, which set quotas in 2004 that 20 percent of admissions slots would go to black, mixed-race or indigenous students. More than 70 percent of Brazil's 98 public universities have such quotas, so the case was considered likely to influence admissions practices nationally. The quotas were challenged by a right-wing party that argued that they were counter to principles of equity. But the Supreme Court ruled that the quotas were justified as a means to redress the impact of centuries of slavery in the nation.

The number of foreign and out-of-state students admitted to the University of California's 10 campuses soared by 43 percent this year, while the overall number of would-be freshmen admitted from within the state's borders grew by just 3.6 percent, the university system said Tuesday. The university, like many public institutions, has sought to help offset budget cuts by enrolling more students who pay full tuitions, leading to increases in non-state residents in many places. Out-of-state and foreign students made up nearly one in five students admitted for next fall, 18,846 of a total of 80,289.

The University of California at Los Angeles told 894 waitlisted students they had been admitted last weekend, only to backtrack hours later, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The college sent an e-mail about financial aid to accepted and waitlisted students. But one line that was only supposed to be on the message to accepted students also appeared in the form letter to those on the waitlist: "Once again congratulations on your admission to UCLA, we hope that this information will assist you in making your decision to join the Bruin Family in the fall," the message read. UCLA officials informed those students Monday that they were still on the waitlist, and offered an apology.

This has happened before. Vassar College mistakenly told some early decision applicants this winter that they had gotten in, only to write back telling them they were actually rejected. And, The Times reported,  the University of California campuses in San Diego and Santa Barbara have accidentally told students they were accepted in past years.

The Record has exposed more cases of New Jersey colleges reporting incomplete information on SAT scores to U.S. News & World Report to inflate rankings. Ramapo College has been excluding about 22 percent of its new students (generally the most disadvantaged students) when reporting average SAT scores to U.S. News & World Report. As a result, the SAT average reported by Ramapo was more than 50 points higher than it should have been. New Jersey City University has also been inflating its SAT scores, the Record reported. Ramapo, shortly after the article was published Friday, said it would start reporting the averages for all students. New Jersey City University officials said that they were unaware of the practice.