Submit your written policy proposal. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained thr
IMPACTS OF THE ADMISSION POLICY 8
Impacts of the Admission Policy
Deanna Buchanan
Southern New Hampshire University
Impacts of the Admission Policy
Impacts on enrollment, retention, and degree completion
Many universities have interventions to increase their college admission probability for the targeted population. These programs have an enormous impact on high school students who account for the most significant number of enrolment. High school student puts their effort based on different admission policies (Grau, 2018). Students can show this in their college admission test. Therefore, this admission policy seeks to attract more high school students to work hard towards joining the faculty that fosters fair admission. The policy also has the student entry interview provision, which is an interesting part; this is one step in the student entry interview conducted by the faculty admission team (Voigt & Hundrieser, 2008). This strategy aims at growing a student-focused on faculty culture and working with students at an individual level. It is also a chance to gauge students’ learning expectations. One aspect of this interview is asking students if they plan to complete their studies on a full-time or part-time basis. If they plan to partially or fully complete their degree, this is a strategy to help track degree completion based on the students’ ambition stated on their degree commencement. In addition, it will provide the faculty with knowledge on student’s life and career goals for guidance from the admission point. The interview is also part of the admission process that helps identify barriers to retention and completion.
Some universities have used these strategies to ensure student retention and completion. For example, Deakin University has a provision that requires all students who accept commonwealth Supported Place should show if they plan to complete their studies on a full-time or part-time basis. Also, state whether they plan to partially or fully complete their degree. This strategy has helped the university achieve retention a complete success.
Students join higher education institutions with different expectations to gain from it and contribute to their future careers (Grau, 2018). Sometimes this expectation change or a student is dissatisfied with the experience. Therefore, it is important to support students throughout their studies to overcome challenges and complete their studies. An institution should, therefore, develop interventions and strategies that will have a positive impact on student retention and complete success. The faculty will use this admission policy as one intervention to increase student completion. The policy fosters diversity and flexibility. Diversity promotes sharing ideas and a sense of belonging. It also places students first to ensure support, and they feel valued. The policy ensures fair application for all students by encouraging them to apply for as long as they qualify for their course of study (Voigt & Hundrieser, 2008). In addition, the faculty has ensured a team of a well-trained and experienced team to oversee the admission process. It also integrates other members of the university. Therefore, students who qualify to join the faculty will feel like they deserved this opportunity and that they got it through fair processes. The faculty will annually review the admission policy to fit the faculty needs best and ensure successful completion by providing them with all support they need.
Administering this policy will also affect the institution's operations. An increase in enrolment means an increase in the number of student’s affairs to handle. This means the need for more lecturers to offer quality education, more accounting activities, more subordinate staff, and more effort by the school administration to retain these students. The institution will have to develop strategies to meet the needs of all students. These strategies should be supportive to encourage retention and completion. The institution will have to change its campus activities to accommodate all students.
Conclusion
Demographic prospects are a dimension that familiarly pressures higher education. Higher education is increasingly becoming a universal aspiration as the number of students across the world is growing, and the amount will continue to increase with projections showing 160 million by 2025 (Gage, 2017). This increasing demographic has far-reaching implications for higher education. In the United States, the demand for higher education will continue to speed up. This means competition for talents between universities. It is, therefore, important for the institution to have policies and procedures to meet this student's supply.
This admission policy provides a way to attract enrolment by students who qualify for various degrees. The institution needs to adapt to changing demographics because a significant amount of revenue comes from students. Therefore, the admission team must admit students who meet campus budgetary goals and stay at a level that will ensure the institution's financial stability (Orr et al., 2017). To achieve this, the institution will place the relationship between high school test scores and success in postsecondary education at the forefront of the enrolment process (Higher Education Standards Panel, 2017). This admission policy seeks to increase diversity and inclusion in the faculty. This means there will be diverse demography in the institution. In addition, the number of international students enrolling in the institution will increase. This means the institution will need to adjust some of its policies and procedures to meet the needs of these students.
Successful admission policies and practices should conform to the institutional mission. This is an important step that most institutions cannot address. Some institutions have used this step; for example, the School of Medicine at Stanford University restructured its admission process to emphasize the need for mission-oriented review for each applicant. This means each applicant is assessed based on the institution's goals and a mission statement (Gage, 2017). The admission model for this school recognizes ethnic and racial diversity important in achieving institutional goals. We develop the admission policy following the institution's mission, which is to see students' overall success by providing them with quality and affordable pathways for success. The success of the institution is seen in the retention rate and student completion of their course (Menser, 2015). Administering this policy poses potential changes to the mission of the institution. The purpose will have to change to meet the new number of students and the overall needs of students. The institution will experience increased diversity and international students. Therefore, the mission will change to recognize the value of diversity. It will also identify stakeholders to whom the institution is accountable. It will also involve assessing student applicants on the institution’s mission and goals, for example, categorizing applicants' skills in a way that reflects institutional, educational purposes.
The primary source of funding for the institution is the federal government. The government subsidizes education through tax revenue collected in different levels of administration (OECD, 2017). The federal government funding accounts for 70% in the university. This funding helps guarantee universal access to basic education by reducing the financial contributions of parents to a minimum. Investing in higher education means providing students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the labor market.
The benefits of education investment not only accrue to the student but also to a society that provides the government with a strong economic incentive to invest more public funding of education. Therefore, the impact of this admission policy will be increased enrolment, retention rate, and completion rate. This will ensure the graduation of individuals with knowledge and skills to join the labor market, which provides the government with more incentive to invest more in the university (OECD, 2017). This could increase government funding to 90%. An increase in government funding means more access to higher education for students. In addition, an increase in student’s enrolment means more funding additional funds from the community as tuition fees. The faculty will pool these funds from that will help in running the faculty to offer a conducive environment for completion. Additional funding will come from research and development institutions willing to partner with students in conducting research.
References
Gage, C. B. (2017). "Examining Admission Policy Change at a Private, Tuition-Dependent, Baccalaureate Institution in an Urban Setting: A Qualitative Case Study.” Public Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences. 284. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsdiss/284
Grau, N. (2018). The impact of college admissions policies on the academic effort of high school students. Economics of Education Review, 65, 58-92.
Higher Education Standards Panel. (2017). Final report–Improving retention, completion and success in higher education.
Menser, N. J. (2015). The perfect formula: Benchmarks that best predict retention in selective admissions programs. Doi: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/diss/87/
OECD (2017), The Funding of School Education: Connecting Resources and Learning, OECD Publishing, Paris. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264276147-en
Orr, D., Usher, A., Haj, C., Atherton, G., & Geanta, I. (2017). Study on the impact of admission systems on higher education outcomes. Final report. Brussels: European Commission.
Voigt, L., & Hundrieser, J. (2008). Student success, retention, and graduation: Definitions, theories, practices, patterns, and trends. Noel-Lewitz Retention Codifications.
