 "Photo: Jackie Fernandez")
High school students in the top 10 percent of their class aspiring to attend the University of Texas-Austin in fall 2011 may have to choose an alternative.
"Being in the top 10 percent is an honor," said Danielle Vargas, 16, Stevens High School class of 2011. "I go to a big school and it's really competitive, so if we do succeed, we should be rewarded. Being at the top is a big accomplishment."
The Texas Legislature passed a bill this session that allows the University of Texas-Austin to limit the number of automatic admissions under the top 10 percent rule. The law goes into effect for freshman entering UT in 2011.
Known as a premiere university, UT-Austin's campus has become a competitive field, even with a high number of automatic admissions.
"There are some people willing to work and some people willing to give up on (UT-Austin) completely," said Christian Tovar, 15, Jefferson High School class of 2011. "Obviously, there are people who work to get in the top … and they're going to feel unfortunate, but the law can go both ways."
According to Gwen Grigsby, the associate vice president for government relations at UT, 81 percent of the fall 2008 freshman class has been admitted automatically under the current 10 percent rule. In 2009, the estimated population of top 10 students will be 90 percent of the freshman class.
"We need to be able to admit students on more criteria than high school rank," Grigsby said.
Under the new law, freshmen entering UT in 2011 will only be 75 percent top students. The university will begin by admitting those in the top one percent and continue until the cap is reached. Students who are left will compete for admittance.
With the new law, the admissions office will have more control over student selection, said Augustine Garza, deputy director of admissions at UT.
"We have to have some control over the population," Garza said. "This gives us more spaces for non-top percenters. They still have to compete, but there is more room for them."
As for the freshman admitted in 2010, it will be business as usual, Garza said.
Don Hale, vice president for public affairs at UT, views the changes in the law as a step in the right direction.
The new law affects only the UT campus, as a way to control enrollment. The university has enough room to accommodate 50,000 students. Each year, more than 29,500 applicants vie for 6,800 freshman spots, according to a report issued by UT.
"The top 10 percent law affects this university unlike any other in the state," Hale said. "Only 19 percent of our last fall's incoming freshmen go through what I call a holistic review."
Hale's "holistic review" is a complete application process, in which the university decides whether the student is right for the school by reviewing the entrance applications.
"It should give students outside the top 10 percent a little better chance of getting into UT. I believe it benefits high schools that have a highly competitive class. It will open doors for those types of students who sit outside the top 10 percent," said Samantha Gallegos, director for secondary curriculum in the Harlandale Independent School District.
In the very top of the 10 percent at Jefferson, Tovar sees the new law as something that may discourage some from attending UT but will also inspire those who didn't think they could compete for a spot at a top school.
"People are going to be surprised when they hear about the law. They are going to feel encouraged to submit applications," Tovar said. "People who don't have the advantage of having high grades will think, 'this is my chance to get into a premiere university.'"
With more applicants to compete with, students who once found themselves in the top of their class may find that 10 percent just wasn't high enough.
"(Students) at the end may have worked harder than the ones in front," said Juliana Torres, 16, McCollum High School junior class valedictorian. "They still deserve a chance at a college they want to go to."
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