Texas Tech President announces review of university admissions process

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec announced a review of the Texas Tech admissions process on Friday, in response to federal investigations at a handful of other institutions nationwide.

Texas Tech provided this statement on Friday afternoon.

Dear Texas Tech Family,

There has been a substantial amount of attention focused recently on college admissions processes around the country. The outcome of federal investigations into special admissions practices at a small number of institutions are disturbing and have cast a shadow nationwide. While Texas Tech University is not a subject of these investigations, I have been asked by many in our community what constitutes our admissions process.

The first priority in the university’s strategic plan is “educate and empower a diverse student body.” Our students’ successes are reflected in our commitment to inclusive access and providing opportunities for all students who seek to attend Texas Tech.

The university’s admissions practices are an objective analysis of our applicants based on institutional standards of academic rigor and performance. For students not admitted outright by meeting assured admissions standards, further consideration can be provided through a holistic review. Holistic review process represents a process for consideration of students from a variety of backgrounds, with demonstrated talents and experiences which are not necessarily reflected in a transcript grade or a standardized test score such as the ACT or SAT. The holistic process does not include any influence from parents or other third parties.

The professional staff in our Office of Undergraduate Admissions upholds the benchmarks for admission to the institution and practices an ethical standard for admission, which is consistently and equally applied to all prospective students.

While we are confident in our admissions practices, this has provided an opportunity to review those practices to ensure the integrity of the admissions process at Texas Tech University is sound. I am appreciative of the professionalism of our admissions team and all those across campus who contribute daily to the recruitment and enrollment of our students.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Schovanec

President