U. shifts admission policy to better address older students - BRIAN MAFFLY, The Salt Lake Tribune

The University of Utah is revising its admissions policy for some older students in the wake of a civil-rights complaint filed by a learning-disabled applicant who was denied admission because he read and wrote at only a fourth-grade level. A temporary policy, adopted last month while a permanent one is being drafted, spells out in detail the academic benchmarks that those older than 25 who have never been to college must meet for admission. But officials stressed there is plenty of flexibility to admit even those who look bad on paper, as long as they demonstrate they can succeed. The policy revision affects only applicants who graduated from high school seven or more years before admission and have never been enrolled at a regionally accredited college, a narrow definition that covers fewer than 100 applicants each fall. But the overhaul illustrates how tricky it is for selective universities to asses