Most low-income, high-achieving students in the United States neither attend nor apply to selective universities despite research that shows that they are just as likely as their high-income peers to succeed if they do apply to those schools. Despite the fact that many universities have begun offering substantial financial aid packages that would…

The past five years have seen unprecedented changes in freshman admissions at the University of California, reflecting steep cuts in state funding that UC sustained during that period as well as changes in UC's definition of who is eligible to enter the university. The number of California applicants who were "not" admitted to the UC…

Today a college degree is considered the ticket to a good job and the gateway to economic advancement. A student's chances of gaining admission to college, however, are often based more on parental wealth than the student's achievements. At the nation's most selective colleges, three percent of incoming freshmen come from families in the bottom…

Reports on undergraduate admissions processes at four elite universities. Results show that the Asian American admission rate is below the overall admission rate. Reasons for lower rates are discussed, as are the consequences of manipulating admissions to achieve diversity. (PS)

The legal activity in federal courts related to affirmative action indicates a strong possibility the Supreme Court will abolish affirmative action in college admission. Such a decision would inevitably alter the landscape of higher education. Campus diversity will have to be achieved without using race or ethnicity to offer preference to some at…

This report addresses the problem of underrepresentation of minorities in the health care professions and presents results of a comparative study that examined the factors differentiating schools that enroll and graduate relatively large numbers of minority students from those who do not. Study findings revealed that schools with higher minority…

Undergraduate admissions policies and practices at 1,463 institutions were surveyed. The investigation dealt with many aspects of admission, including policy-making authority, application procedures, accessibility and selectivity, student credentials, recruitment, and marketing, guidance and course placement, and differential treatment of various…

Truths and myths involved with student admission to Ivy League colleges are revealed by a director of admissions whose experience includes admission work at Vassar, Bowdoin, Harvard and Yale. Several basic concepts are offered as fact: most private colleges in America today are not highly selective; many colleges pose as being more selective than…