Education

A Closer Look at Percent-Based Plans

August 08, 2001 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Several major states have adopted or considered college admissions plans that give a top percentage of high school graduates automatic admissions. Among them:

  • Texas: The state’s percent plan guarantees admission to students ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. Qualified students are guaranteed admission to any public institution in the state.
  • Florida: The state’s percent-based plan grants a space at one of Florida’s state universities to students ranked in the top 20 percent of their high school classes.
  • California: The top 12.5 percent of students at all California high schools are guaranteed a spot in the University of California system. But those who fall between 4 percent and 12.5 percent first must attend a community college for two years.
  • Pennsylvania: The state briefly considered—but never adopted—a plan that would have admitted students ranked in the top 15 percent of their high school classes.
  • Colorado: The state had considered a percent plan for awarding merit-based financial aid, but opted instead to set a minimum 3.0 grade point average for retaining scholarships from year to year.

A version of this article appeared in the August 08, 2001 edition of Education Week as A Closer Look at Percent-Based Plans

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Are You Keeping Up With Trump’s Big Changes to K-12 Funding? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Is Trump Changing School Discipline Rules? Take This Week’s Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: April 30, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz What Is Trump’s New AI Plan for K-12 Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Illustration of tasks assisted with AI.
Canva