In the spring of 1986 the first of a series of studies was undertaken by the faculty members in counselor education at Western Carolina University to revise and validate the admissions standards for the master's degree programs in counseling. Impetus for these efforts was provided by a request from the Dean of the Graduate School for all graduate programs to review their admissions standards and by the decision of the faculty to undertake a self study in preparation for a planned request for accreditation consideration by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). In the first phase all graduates of the counseling program (N=171) were rated independently by four members of the faculty. Exemplary and marginal students' Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and grade point average (GPA) were examined. GPA was the highest correlate of faculty ratings of graduate's ability. Phase Two found the GRE Analytical score as the most powerful predictor of graduate GPA. In Phase Three tentative new admissions standards were set, examined, and adopted. Finally, in Phase Four a follow up study was conducted to determine effectiveness of the new admissions standards. The GRE Analytical score remained the best predictor of academic performance in counselor education. Additional evidence of the effectiveness of the revised admissions standards was reported. (JBJ)