UNLV going to higher tech computer admissions processing

Jennifer Knight

Monday, June 10, 2002 | 10:42 a.m.

Getting admitted to UNLV will soon be as fast as getting a burger and Coke at the drive-thru.

Beginning in September the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will join numerous institutions throughout the country by offering instant admissions for the fall 2003 class.

UNLV already receives about 55 percent of its applications online, but admissions officers have had to wait for transcripts to arrive by mail before processing them.

Under the new plan students will self-report their grades, file them by e-mail, and UNLV's new computer system can send a conditional acceptance letter within five minutes.

"Self-reporting is the coming thing," Pamela Hicks, UNLV's interim director of admissions, said. "This way they can know they are admitted and start working on getting their financial aid."

Hicks said all student information will be checked against their permanent transcripts. Any discrepancies could cause the university to rescind the offer.

UNLV is following a nationwide trend. Instant admissions not only reduce the notification process from months to minutes, but can also attract more computer-savvy students and nab undecided applicants earlier.

As a result, institutions such as UNLV can get an edge in the highly competitive world of college recruiting, one admissions expert said.

"If a particular institution is competing against a peer institution for the same demographic, a much quicker admissions notification system could sway a student to attend their college," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

With Nevada State College at Henderson opening Sept. 3, UNLV will have its first regional competitor. That has not escaped the notice of university officials, but it did not prompt the instant admissions system either, Hicks said.

"We're all in competition, but as a university, we are looking for those kids that, if given a positive decision, will choose us over Arizona State University," Hicks said.

The new state college has developed a quick admissions process, too, but does not have the same setup as UNLV. Students can apply online, but transcripts still must be received before a decision is made, Chris Chairsell, state college president, said.

"When the (student's) package is all together, we can make the decision instantaneously," Chairsell said.

Technology for UNLV's new automated admissions process was pioneered at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, Hicks said.

Online admissions is nothing new at Cal Poly. It has used the system since 1991. The highly selective engineer-based institution doesn't even accept paper applications anymore, James Maraviglia, executive director of admissions at Cal Poly, said.

"We don't even want paper applications," Maraviglia said. "If you are going to be a student at a highly competitive technology campus, you'd better understand technology," he said.

Since the school began using online self-reported admissions forms, the quality, quantity and diversity of students has increased, Maraviglia said.

During the last decade, the average grade-point average has gone from 3.6 to 3.85, he said. Applicants' average SAT scores have risen from 1,090 to 1,230, and the number of applicants has increased 130 percent without staff size increasing to accommodate growth.

The issue of academic honesty isn't really an issue, Maraviglia said. In a pool of about 4,000 student applicants, only 100 students had discrepancies in self-reported information.

UNLV officials could not say how much the Cal Poly-developed software will cost, but Hicks said students can count on more automation to come.

The Community College of Southern Nevada has already developed computerized student transcripts and the Clark County School District might do the same for its high school kids next year.

"We're excited about this technology," Hicks said. "For students coming to college today, this is their medium."