Officials in the University of Iowa Admissions Office announced Tuesday that first-year and freshmen applicants will now self-report their information and receive an admission decision within 48 hours.

Beginning in August, first-year and freshmen applicants will now report their high-school course work, test scores, grade-point average, and class rank when applying to the university, according to a UI press release. No official high-school transcript or official ACT and/or SAT test scores will be required for a decision to be made, but they will still be required before starting classes.

"We’re really excited about it," said Michael Barron, the UI director of Admissions. "… It’ll be a good thing for our students and for us. What happens after admissions, the more information students have about the real opportunities that exist, the better their decision will be for where to go, and we certainly think that will be helpful to us."

Barron said the purpose of the change was to streamline the admissions process for both students and Admissions Office staff and to reduce the amount of paper used from high schools and the UI.

According to the press release, the new online admissions application will be available in mid-August. Transfer and international applicants, however, will still be required to submit official transcripts and test scores to receive an admission decision.

— by Kristen East