UNC reviews admissions after Wainstein

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated when the admissions changes were implemented. Changes to the admissions process began as early as information about the athletic-academic scandal started to become public in 2010. The article has been updated to reflect these changes.

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This story is part of a series from The Daily Tar Heel examining the more than 70 reforms the University has said were made since information about the academic-athletic scandal became public in 2010. The complete list of reforms can be found on carolinacommitment.unc.edu.

UNC promised to reform the admissions process for student-athletes after information started to come out about the athletic-academic scandal in 2010.

The reformed process starts with coaches recruiting high school athletes. Transcripts and test scores are evaluated and compared to the University’s standards. Then the Department of Athletics sends selected profiles to the undergraduate admissions office for its portion of evaluation.

Coaches and the athletic department predict the athletes’ GPAs using a formula developed with the Odum Institute.

If a student-athlete’s predicted GPA is above 2.3, admissions information can be sent to the Committee on Special Talent, but not all student-athletes are reviewed by the committee.

In 2015, 152 student-athletes were admitted through the committee, while nine had to go through a more extensive review process.

The NCAA requires incoming first-years to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.3 to be eligible to compete in their first year. UNC-system schools require a GPA of 2.5 and a combined critical reading and math SAT score of 800.

The committee also evaluates students who do not meet academic requirements to gain admission to UNC but might bring skills other students cannot, said committee member Layna Mosley.

“They are a set of students that bring things to the University that might not be captured purely by academic credentials,” Mosley said.

In a given year, the committee approves about 160 students for athletics, 20 for music and 20 for dramatic arts.

Ashley Memory, the senior assistant director of admissions in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, said the majority of the members on the Committee on Special Talent are required to be tenured or tenure-track professors.

All 188 student-athletes in the class of 2019 met the minimum course and GPA requirements. One student did not meet the testing component but met the GPA component.

Although the final decision rests with Vice Provost for Enrollment and Undergraduate Admissions Stephen Farmer and the department of undergraduate admissions, the department seriously considers the committee’s advice.

“Steve has never gone against what our committee has recommended; he’s never admitted someone that we recommended against admitting, ever,” Mosley said.

Memory said the projected first-year GPA has not always been factored into admissions.

“Beyond the criterion, there’s really no formula for admission, and this is true of all admissions at Carolina, student-athletes as well,” Memory said. “We do a holistic review. We evaluate each student extensively and comprehensively.”

Vince Ille, a senior associate athletic director who oversees UNC’s compliance and student-athlete development offices, said coaches and the athletic department narrow the search for student-athletes throughout the recruiting process.

“This is a collaborative effort, and we only want to bring forward prospective student-athletes that the coach and the athletic department believe ... can succeed here academically at the University of North Carolina. Those are the candidates we want to bring forward,” Ille said.

Ille said the University is continuously improving its admissions process.

“The idea that whatever we’re doing today, the goal at the end of the day is to lay your head on the pillow, and you’re a little bit better at the end of the day than you were at the beginning of the day,” Ille said.

university@dailytarheel.com