There is debate over whether Asian American students are admitted to selective colleges and universities at lower rates than white students with similar academic qualifications. However, there have been few empirical investigations of this issue, in large part due to a dearth of data. Here we present the results from analyzing 685,709 applications…

An evaluation of the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), a college access program for low-income and high-achieving public high school students, yielded favorable findings regarding the perceptions of program alumni. PUPP Alumni Survey respondents (N =126) reported that PUPP had positively impacted their development of academic and…

This article reports the findings of a new study conducted by the two researchers at Princeton University, Douglas S. Massey and Margarita Mooney. The study was based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, which covers about 3,900 students who entered 28 public and private selective colleges in the fall of 1999. The study found…

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)

The case of a Saudi Arabian student admitted to Princeton illustrates practices of using the admissions process as a means of soliciting gifts for the university. Issues of academic standards, special admissions, and confidentiality are discussed. (LBH)

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…

Many colleges, Harvard among them, offer preferential admission to the children of alumni. The legacy preferential system perpetuates elitism and the status quo and places blacks and other minorities, whose parents were less likely to have gone to college, at a real disadvantage. (SLD)

A recent report on University of California admissions practices over the last five years reveals that it is not uncommon for college admissions offices to admit otherwise unqualified students based on special admissions considerations, such as relationship to alumni or large donors. Experts feel the practice is nationwide. Survey data on relative…

Two veteran high school counselors answer college bound students' common questions about selecting and applying to colleges. Topics discussed include where to begin research, criteria for selecting schools, number of applications to submit, parent role, getting counselors' help, relative importance of admission criteria, applying to parents' alma…