UC-Irvine reinstates nearly 300 withdrawn study offers

04 Aug 2017

The American university is now re-admitting the 290 applicants whom offers were initially rescinded in July, after the backlash that followed when the mass rescission was done two months before the start of term.

According to USA Today College, 499 offers to students were initially withdrawn for failing to meet deadlines and other requirements for transcripts and test scores, before the school announced yesterday more than half of the rescissions will now be accepted.

“Effective immediately, all students who received provisional acceptances into University of California-Irvine will be fully admitted, except those whose transcripts clearly indicate they did not meet our academic standards,” chancellor Howard Gillman said in a statement.

While 290 offers have been re-admitted, the status for the remaining 209 offers remains unknown.

The announcement on UC-Irvine’s Twitter is receiving positive feedback, with tweets applauding the school’s leader for making the right decision.

Grateful for the leadership demonstrated in this important decision and position. Proud to be an Anteater.

— Jfriend (@jfriendPHA) August 2, 2017

Thank you, Chancellor Gillman, for making the right decision. We welcome our incoming students!

— Andrew Noymer (@AndrewNoymer) August 2, 2017

“It’s clear we don’t like the way this was handled,” Ria Carlson, associate chancellor of strategic communications and public affairs said, as quoted by Los Angeles Times.

“We should have been more sensitive in our approach. We probably should have worked more closely with students. We should have reached out to them by telephone.”

UC-Irvine came under fire after it announced in July it would be revoking nearly 500 offers for failing to send their transcripts on time or meeting the required grades – a situation exacerbated with allegations its admissions officers gave petty or confusing reasons to those affected.

News reports spoke on how students were devastated by the rescission, to which Gillman said were “heartbreaking” and “unacceptable”.

“This process is not working,” Gillman said.

“We are a university recognised for advancing the American Dream, not impeding it.

“This situation is rocking us to our core because it is fundamentally misaligned with our values.”

Los Angeles Times reports as of Tuesday the school had granted more than half of the 214 appeals from students whose offers were initially revoked for transcript-related problems. Eight out of 132 appeals related to poor senior grades have also been granted.

Vice-chancellor of student affairs Thomas A. Parham says while the school did enforce stricter admissions conditions this year, no applicants who fulfilled all the requirements – proof of receipt of a high school degree, submitting transcripts and test scores by on time and maintaining a weighted 3.0 senior-year grade point average with no Ds or Fs in UC-approved courses -.had their offers rescinded.