The use of nontraditional college admission variables in the prediction of academic success was assessed with 444 freshmen entering the University of California, Davis, under the Special Action process (wavering of admission requirements). For fall 1978, 1979, 1980 special entrants, attention was directed to college applications, including high…

In an effort to identify the minimum qualifications necessary for an entering student to succeed in a selective admission Nursing Program at Saint Petersburg Junior College in Florida, a study was conducted of 424 generic nursing students who started the program in January 1988, August 1988, January 1989, and August 1989. A successful student was…

In 1993, a second annual review was conducted of the 1990 State Regents admission policy for the Oklahoma State System of higher education. The review was intended to assure institutional policy compliance, ascertain the effects of increased admission standards on institutional student profiles, and evaluate whether the ultimate goal of maximizing…

In this review of college admission practices, four areas are analyzed: (1) changing patterns of admission standards and practices and factors that have influenced those changes during the past 25 years; (2) importance assigned to high school achievement, test scores, and other criteria in arriving at admission decisions; (3) influence of college…

The Individualized Study Program (ISP) at the University of California, Davis, which is designed to enhance retention of students with academic skill deficiencies, was evaluated. The target group was disadvantaged students who had not met the university's entrance requirements. Attention was focused on two aspects of the program: allowing students…

Results of an evaluation of the Individualized Study Program (ISP), a 2-year pilot program at the Learning Skills Center (LSC) of the University of California, Davis, are presented. The program target group were disadvantaged students who had not met the university's entrance requirements. The ISP, which is designed to improve retention of…

Medical school admissions and performance in 10 medical schools were assessed in relation to prediction using conventional measures. The origin of the research was an attempt to determine the effects of affirmative action on academic medicine. For the 10 schools, admissions decisions were analyzed, and an attempt was made to model statistically…

This study used national data to categorize college-bound high school seniors on each of five criteria identified as representative of those required for admission to highly selective colleges. Data came from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88). Selected criteria included grade point average (GPA), the Scholastic Aptitude…

In the eyes of much of the academic establishment, William Bowen and Derek Bok's "The Shape of the River" is the definitive defense of affirmative action. Released in 1998, this book, which was also sponsored by the Mellon Foundation, claimed that racial preferences at America's elite universities were crucial to the growth and maintenance of a…