An ACT composite score of 21 (the facet scores vary slightly by field) is considered "college ready." It is a below average score for those who take the test, but that's how the test is defined.
Guys who cannot demonstrate they are college ready through either high school grades and/or the test probably shouldn't come to NU. NU doesn't have no-show joke majors for athletes like UNC had. It wasn't new news to anybody in the know, but the UNC story was nice to follow because it demonstrated really how incapable of college courses a lot of these guys were: ie, reading and writing at a 6th grade level, etc. I believe a few examples of papers were even leaked. These guys had to cheat AND be in majors with free Cs to pass anything. This kind of thing is common and remains commonplace across much of college athletics. They are not here to play school.
NU has majors that are a lot easier than others, but doesn't have any where guys with core academic skills at a 6th grade level can pass. Our school tends to require more like college average scores for athletes for admission, we should lower the bar to basic college readiness. 21 on your ACT with non-horrible grades on a football player? You're in. 20 on your ACT but a 3.4 GPA in non-remedial classes that demonstrates general ability to complete coursework? You're in. If we have an implosion of our grad rates we can reevaluate. I don't need guys who are excellent scholars (although, yes, many of our football players ARE excellent scholars, and I have utmost respect for any athlete who was able to complete an NU course-load in 4 years while also fulfilling the tremendous time responsibility of college football. Even if a guy is the most excellent scholar or thinker, accomplishing such a task at least demonstrates significant discipline and time management capabilities that are valuable in life and career).
I regret getting involved in this conversation AGAIN because it's been talked to death, isn't changing, and the people in charge of it don't give an absolute flying **** about any of this, but that's what makes sense to me.
