The controversy surrounding college admission criteria is examined. It is noted that racial classifications and preference of ethnic and racial minorities, as part of a university's admissions policy have been seen to constitute reverse discrimination. Proponents of a racially neutral admissions policy argue for a strengthening of standardized admissions criteria that would rely heavily on quantitative factors: national standardized test scores and grade point average. It is now known that the traditionally used quantitative criteria have a built-in bias, and emphasis on these measures has institutionalized discrimination against the nonwhite and poor in the past. In this essay the criticisms of traditional quantitative criteria are discussed and the search for alternatives is outlined. These alternatives include: changes that incorporate economic and educational characteristics, student motivation, and societal needs; a geographic criterion; culture-specific tests; and racial and ethnic classification as a temporary remedial criterion. The criteria recommended come from these alternatives and have two important characteristics: they involve changes to existing regular admissions criteria, and they do not include special admissions. Recent changes in attitudes toward nondiscriminatory or remedial admissions are examined. A list of references and selected bibliography are included. (MSE)