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Rationale for This Study: The admission procedure implemented in fall 2005 in consequence of new laws passed in summer 2005 is described and evaluated. The general set-up, the underlying considerations, and the changes resulting from the establishment of this procedure are presented., Methodology: Admission variables and demographic information (sex, age, nationality) for 172 students who entered their first academic year at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (VUW) and their academic performance measured according to their results in the three first-year examinations (successful versus unsuccessful) were assessed. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between predictor and outcome., Results: Regression analysis indicates that Austrian students were more likely to be unsuccessful than German students (R(2) = 0.366, p < 0.001). Previous school performance was the best predictor for success in the Austrian cohort (R(2) = 0.196; p < 0.001), whereas the personal interview scores provided the best predictor in the German cohort (R(2) = 0.122; p < 0.05)., Conclusion: This study supports our existing selection practices relating to cognitive and non-cognitive skills. The number of strugglers may be reduced on the basis of an admissions procedure, but struggling may not be excluded by the existing selection practices, which do not assess a specific threshold but are related to a score-ranking system and a predefined number of available openings in the program.

Rationale for This Study: The purpose of this study was to compare the success during the first academic year of students who underwent an admissions procedure (class 2005) and students of the three previous classes (2002-2004), who did not undergo an admissions procedure but took their exams under the same curricular framework., Methodology: Exam results of 802 students of the 2002-2004 classes were compared with those of 181 students from the 2005 class., Results: Students of the 2005 class were more likely to pass all three exams given in the first academic year than students of the 2002-2004 classes (p < 0.001; OR = 3.2), and the quality of two of the three exams (indicated by individual scores) was also significantly better in 2005 than in the preceding classes (p < 0.001). In unselected classes, 25% to 31% of students showed no successful attempts to pass any of the three exams currently administered., Conclusion: The implementation of an admissions procedure measuring, among other indicators, academic ability has significantly improved first-year exam performance. Incoming students presenting with higher scores on academic standards are more likely to complete their courses successfully.