To counter enrollment dips brought on by students who drop out or move on, some colleges have taken to accepting students, but only if they attend a different school for a predetermined length of time and maintain a certain GPA.

The New York Times spots the trend, in which admissions offices are replacing the old-fashioned wait-list and rejection letters for some students.

An American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers official explains:

“Life happens — we all understand that the size of the freshman class diminishes as they progress. This is an attempt at what is called enrollment management.”

The story identifies Cornell University and several State University of New York campuses as some of the institutions engaging in the practice, joining the University of Maryland and Middlebury College, which have used variations of the method.

Do you think it’s ethical for colleges to issue these conditional acceptances?

Admission to College, With Catch: Year’s Wait [The New York Times]

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