The state of Kentucky has recently raised its standards for persons who apply for admission to teacher education. The plan, mandated by the State Board of Education, involves a selection/retention process for candidates who apply for initial admission to the program and for candidates who progress through the program. A minimum level of performance on multi-faceted criteria must be demonstrated by each candidate prior to initial acceptance into teacher education. The criteria include acceptable performance in basic skills, as well as evidence of appropriate professional characteristics. Candidates may be denied admission to professional teacher education, even in an open-admissions institution. This paper explains the Kentucky plan for admission to teacher education. Aggregate data describing results of the admission/retention process in Kentucky are presented to portray the quality of persons who applied for admission to teacher education as well as those who were accepted into a preparation program. In addition, data from Northern Kentucky University, an institution with five years' experience in selective admissions, is presented to show the impact of a selective admissions program upon the quality of candidates enrolled in teacher education. The impact of selective admissions upon enrollment is also presented. (JMK)