Purdue sets 4-year math requirement for applicants

WEST LAFAYETTE – Starting in fall 2011, Purdue University will require all incoming freshmen to have completed at least four years of high school math.

Purdue President France Cordova said the increase from the current requirement of three years of math is “very, very important” for success in college. She said studies show students with four years of math in high school increase their chances of receiving a college degree by 73 percent.

Cordova announced the change at a board of trustees meeting Friday.

She said regardless of the students’ majors in college, “if they have four years of math, their critical thinking skills are much improved.”