VIDALIA, La. &045; The class of 2005 is not only trying to top the class in front of them, but also more will be expected of them.

Starting in the fall of 2005, students will have to complete a core curriculum set by the Board of Regents to be admitted to Louisiana’s four-year public universities. In addition, the ACT scores and GPA requirements also are changing, mostly with the ACT score requirements rising.

&uot;Everything is going to pivot off the ACT,&uot; said Glenda Cain, an admissions counselor at Southern University in Baton Rouge.

With the changes, Fred Butcher, director of academics for Concordia Parish schools, recommends parents and students sit down with guidance counselor before scheduling classes, which begins April 12.

&uot;We strongly urge it, especially for those eighth grade students&uot; who will be entering high school next year, he said.

Butcher urges all students planning to attend college to use the core curriculum set by the Board of Regents to schedule classes. Plus, he said, the core curriculum classes will prepare students for the ACT.

Parents will receive a copy of the admissions changes and the core curriculum after spring break next week, Butcher said.

&uot;In order for students to get into a four-year university in Louisiana, now they will have to make a specific score on the ACT&uot; because no four-year universities will have open admissions, Butcher said.

Louisiana State University has the most stringent requirements with a minimum 3.0 GPA, 22 ACT composite score or a rank in the top 10 percent of the high school graduating class. Also, students must require no remedial coursework.

Currently, the minimum requirements, though on a sliding scale, are a 2.8 GPA and a 20 ACT composite score.

Jean Gilman, coordinator of out of state recruitment, said the new standards will help LSU not have to put enforce an enrollment cap.

It’s a &uot;fair system if we raise standards,&uot; she said. &uot;If you meet standards, instate or out of state, you are admitted.&uot;

But, the higher standards also &uot;promote a better quality of students.

&uot;We’re looking at getting people in that will stay, that will graduate,&uot; Gilman said.

In the next tier down, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and the University of New Orleans will require at least a 2.5 GPA, a 23 composite on the ACT or a rank in the top 25 percent of the high school graduating class. Again, students must require no remedial coursework.

On Louisiana Tech’s Web site, their minimum requirements for admission are a 2.3 GPA or a 22 ACT composite score.

All other four-year universities in Louisiana have standards a bit lower. The minimum requirements to enter a four-year university will be at least a 2.0 GPA, 20 composite score on the ACT or a rank in the top 50 percent of the high school graduating class. Students entering these universities, such as Southern University, Grambling University and Northwestern State University, must not require more than one remedial course in college. Right now, according to Cain, the minimum requirements for admissions are a 2.2 GPA or a 17 ACT score.

And at Northwestern, the minimum is a 2.5 GPA or a 18 composite ACT score, according to their Web site.

These universities also may have additional admissions requirements.

All two-year institutions will remain open admissions, requiring just a diploma from a BESE-approved high school, a GED or its equivalent or an appropriate score on an ability to benefit test.

The more stringent standards are not all bad news for students. If students can meet them, they also meet the requirement for the TOPS scholarship and NCAA clearinghouse requirements for college athletes, Butcher said, not to mention higher requirement scholarships.

Last year, the parish average ACT composite score was 17.8, lower than the statewide average of 19.6 and the national average of 20.8.

However, the average ACT composite score for students who were taking the core courses was a 19.1.

&uot;You see there is a significant difference for the kids that take the core courses,&uot; Butcher said.

And now, the state is offering the Plan assessment for 10th grade students to prepare students for the ACT.

&uot;Students will have an early read on what they are actually going to do on the ACT,&uot; he said.

Junior college may be come a &uot;bigger option&uot; for students because of the increase in standards at four-year universities, Butcher said.

However, students in rural parishes, like Concordia, are at a disadvantage to attending junior colleges because there is not one close by that is in the state. Students in Concordia Parish have to pay out of state tuition to Co-Lin or Alcorn University in Natchez.

&uot;I would hope somehow our vo-tech would lend itself to some courses students could take and transfer,&uot; he said.