Medicine is a profession with a long history of research and high standards of methodological rigour and evidence-based decision making. These standards are being transferred into medical education. Universities are starting to collect high-quality data on their admissions systems. This has not been a short-term proposition. Medical courses are…

Based on the significant public investment in expanding degree-granting opportunities for students in colleges, university colleges, and institutes, this paper reports the need for Canadian institutions to work together to find a solution to ensure the recognition and portability of appropriate degrees from non-AUCC (Association of Universities…

Northeastern University's Torch Scholars Program is designed to seek out first-generation students who would not qualify under the university's regular admissions process. The scholarships go to motivated students who have shown determination in overcoming personal challenges. Northeastern believes the experiment will enhance the socioeconomic…

Throughout the 20th century, one of the central debates pertaining to postsecondary education has been about the concept of merit. Who deserves to go to college? The answer to that question goes to the heart of various policies that have been developed, changed, and debated. Perhaps no other policy has drawn more prominence and criticism than that…

The growth in the Latina/o population has increased their representation in postsecondary institutions. Yet, merely 10 percent of all Hispanic Americans ages 24-64 currently graduate from four-year institutions [National Center for Education Statistics (1998) quoted in President's Advisory Commission, 2003; Solórzano & Yosso, 2000].…

The University of the West Indies failed to obtain funding for a certificate program for adult education, indicating that access is a key issue. The future of Caribbean societies depends on more flexibility from higher education institutions in admissions policies, course offerings, and teaching approaches. (SK)

This article uses four data sets to assess changes in the relative weights of test- and performance-based merit criteria on college enrollment during the 1980s and 1990s and considers their significance for affirmative action. Our results support the "shifting meritocracy" hypothesis, revealed by selective postsecondary institutions'…

Provides three arguments in support of open admissions: (1) it continues historical precedent by perpetuating a dual educational system of openness and selectivity; (2) it maximizes educational opportunity and assists in the democratization of the citizenry; and (3) it is more equitable than questionable predictive devices. (MB)

This article shows that the opinions filed in the Bakke case reveal important differences among the Justices of the Supreme Court in their perceptions, reasoning, and conclusions about almost every issue raised. (Author/MC)

Those on both sides of the Bakke case have escalated the rhetoric and predictions of doom if the Supreme Court failed to support their particular view. Now that the Court has spoken, in a way that upholds the tradition of the American promise, both sides must come together to make that promise a reality. (Author/MC)

What the Court did in the Bakke case was to demonstrate that, like the society around it, it is deeply split on the issues presented and unable to formulate a clear approach to the affirmative redress of our heritage of racial discrimination. (Author/MC)

How can one create a system for university admission that is equitable, valid, and representative of the broad range of abilities that students can bring to university settings? Conventional tests of abilities and achievements are narrow and do not measure the full range of abilities relevant to university and life success. In this article I…

Clarification is made of a stand taken on the subject of preferential treatment of minority students in college admissions. (JD)

Alternate access to graduate nursing education for 85 registered nurses with nonnursing baccalaureate degrees included scores on the National League for Nursing Comprehensive Achievement Test and a special course, Matrices of Nursing Practice. A six-year study supports this method of selection for graduate nursing education. (Author/JOW)

Joins the college access debate with an original proposal for fairness in college admissions. Tests an alternative method of college admissions, the "merit-aware model" proposed by William Goggin. First reconsiders the issue of racial preferences, then describes the merit-aware approach. Concludes with a few lessons that can inform admission…