This article uses philosophical analysis to clarify the arguments and claims about racial discrimination brought forward in the recent legal challenges to affirmative action in higher education admissions. Affirmative action opponents have argued that elite institutions of higher education are using negative action against Asian American…

EMERGE is a college access program for talented but underserved high school students. EMERGE aims to encourage students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds (economically disadvantaged, first-generation college-going, or both) to attend selective colleges and universities since disadvantaged students are prone to academic undermatch--enrolling in a…

In the context of a political imperative to reorganise the Portuguese higher education system, a deep knowledge of student choice decision-making processes when applying to higher education is needed. Following a 'combined model' of student choice, which emphasises economic and social factors, this paper aims to answer two main related questions:…

Since the late 1970s, the Access to Higher Education (Access to HE) Diploma (the Diploma) and its predecessor Access to HE certificates and courses have provided opportunities for adults to undertake the preparation they need to progress to higher education (HE). The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has been collecting data…

More California high school graduates are academically ready for college than ever before. More are applying to and enrolling in college, and both the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) are expanding access for example--UC pledged to enroll 10,000 more freshmen and transfer students between 2016 and 2018. But…

Despite limiting access to applicants from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, the practice of using hard or soft Graduate Record Examination (GRE) cutoff scores in physics graduate program admissions is still a popular method for reducing the pool of applicants. The present study considers whether the undergraduate institutions of…

This article draws upon two conceptual frameworks--institutional culture in education and innovation studies--to contextualize findings from a digital intervention for underrepresented students applying to college. The qualitative data that inform this study's findings include 88 open-response surveys with school teachers, as well as campus…

A teacher's primary responsibility is the academic skill development of students. However, as detailed in this study, high school students report that they are more likely to reach out to teachers for college guidance than any other adults. Thus, teachers are uniquely positioned as "institutional agents" for students interested in…

This update to "SAT Wars" provides new evidence in the case against standardized college entry tests, including the experiences of test-optional colleges. "The Scandal of Standardized Tests" sheds significant light on key problems such as: (1) Are the tests stronger proxies for race and family income today than they were 20…

Subtle policy adjustments can induce relatively large "ripple effects." We evaluate a College Board initiative that increased the number of free SAT score reports available to low-income students and changed the time horizon for using these score reports. Using a difference-in-differences analytic strategy, we estimate that targeted…

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an important application that prospective college students must complete to qualify for state and federal financial aid. In this report, the authors describe how school district FAFSA completion rates are related to district-level poverty rates across and within states. Given that students…

Research suggests that L2 students (English-language learners) do not access postsecondary education as the same level as L1 (native English-speaking) peers. Using a computational linguistics approach, this study analyzes financial aid application instructions from 341 randomly selected four-year, Title IV-participating U.S. institutions. Results…

More and more college admissions offices are inquiring about student applicant's criminal histories and making it nearly impossible for applicants who been convicted of crimes to gain admissions. In Massachusetts, nearly 75% of colleges inquire about criminal histories as a standard part of their student application process, according to…

Free college programs have been around for some time, but they have proliferated in recent years, prompted by rising college costs, mounting student debt, and the United States' urgent need for a more educated workforce. But while these free college, or "promise" programs have the potential to make a higher education more affordable and…

This brief is intended as an evidence-based guide for policy analysts and decision makers to inform critical areas in the Higher Education Authorization Act related to racial justice. Our recommendations prioritize combating systemic racism in higher education with a particular focus on disrupting anti-Blackness, though several sections focus on…