The University of Virginia admits proportionately more blacks and children of alumni than other groups. Some other groups also get preferential treatment in admissions: athletes, musicians, artists, applicants from rural areas, children of faculty, female scientists, and other minority group members. (MSE)

Currently, students from low-income backgrounds are underrepresented at selective colleges and universities in the U.S. With the introduction of many programs aimed at increasing the numbers of these students at selective institutions, it is important to understand how the characteristics of an institution can affect educational outcomes. Using…

In 1999, Florida implemented the One Florida Initiative, a plan to end race-conscious decision making in employment, contracting, and higher education. The proposal for higher education was to replace race-conscious admissions with the Talented 20 Program, a policy that in theory would increase access for underrepresented students without…

This paper examines the point at which the percentage of potential non-white college applicants among children of alumni (legacy applicants) will reach a share proportional to the percentage of non-white attendees in today's selective colleges and universities, focusing on the University of Virginia. It reviews the history and objectives of the…

The determination of acceptable performance in Thorndike's constant ratio standard of fair selection is considered. It is shown that suitable choice of acceptable performance can make any minority-majority selection disparity consistent with Thorndike's standard. A rule for determining acceptable performance which avoids the Petersen-Novick…

Transfer is a crucial point in a student's educational pathway since a student who fails to transfer will not be able to attain a bachelor's degree or the benefits that accompany it, such as middle-class status and higher earnings. When members of ethnic minority groups are particularly disadvantaged in reaching their full educational potential, a…

The Bakke case concerning preferential college admissions and the DeFunis case testing the constitutionality of a minority admissions program are reexamined and contrasted for insights into minority-preference and race-conscious remedy issues. (MSE)

On June 23, 2003, the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions policies designed to promote diversity in higher education. The Grutter versus Bollinger decision upheld the University of Michigan Law School race-conscious admissions policy as constitutional. However, in Gratz versus Bollinger, it held…

The University of California Regents have instituted a "Comprehensive Review" system for admission that purports to consider the whole student instead of merely grades and test scores. An examination of the Comprehensive Review reveals a back door attempt to reinstate racial preferences in college admission, a practice the Regents banned…

Emphasizing graduation rate, W. Bowen and D. Bok (1998) argue that race-sensitive admission at selective colleges enhances the educational attainment of underrepresented minority students, and that the effect increases with college selectivity. Focusing on graduation in science, however, R. Elliott and colleagues (1995) conclude that: (1)…

This study examines the role of Advanced Placement (AP) and other honors-level courses as a criterion for admission at a leading public university, the University of California, and finds that the number of AP and honors courses taken in high school bears little or no relationship to students' later performance in college. AP is increasingly…

Discusses the philosophical rationale for preferential affirmative action presented by Daniel C. Maguire in "A New American Justice." Maintains that self-interest bars present society's acceptance of Maguire's theories of justice, as demonstrated in negative reactions to the Harvard Law Review's affirmative action plan. (MJL)

Reviews policies of college officials in controlling admission of minority students (Jews, Catholics, immigrants) to selected American colleges and universities from 1900-1970. Suggests that institutions of higher education may have to justify their admission policies by submitting them to periodic public or semipublic review. (DB)

The Bakke decision will cause institutions to strengthen academic support programs, improve admissions procedures, and develop stronger evaluation programs. Institutions will see more "reverse discrimination" cases in the future. (Author)

Uses the experience of the University of California in abandoning affirmative action admissions policies to explore the real consequences of the removal of minority preferences in law and medical schools. Although numbers of racial minorities are reduced in the short run, it is argued that the change will benefit students with solid…