Do any of you actually live in Kansas? Kansas-bashing seems to be a popular sport.
Fwiw, only about 25% of Kansans live in rural areas–about average among the states. The problem of rural schools having limited course offerings is a problem of rural schools everywhere.
Imo this policy won’t change anything. It simplifies the admissions officers’ jobs–no more checking course titles/requirement categories. Perhaps it will attract a few students who haven’t taken chemistry or physics. KS high schools will still have their graduation requirements–3 years each of science, math, and social studies, 4 years of English, etc. Universities will still have their GPA and ACT requirements. (Before 2001 KS universities accepted all students with a KS high school diploma.) I can confirm that a wide variety of science classes are taught in most (largely urban and suburban) KS public high schools.
Imo, a better strategy to increase enrollment would be to increase merit aid to give top students incentive to stay in KS. Attract the best students who are more likely to stay/graduate and improve the university’s reputation–rather than marginal students who are more likely to drop out.