The Legal Defense Fund and the Thurgood Marshall Institute have released a new report on college admissions practices, outlining opportunities to make these processes fairer for talented Black students.
The report found several areas of admissions processes where race, class, and gender biases can be baked into institutions’ decision-making. First, applicant recruitment is often targeted at wealthier and predominantly White high schools to meet institutional priorities of tuition dollars and geographic diversity. There is also limited access to advanced coursework in predominately-Black and under-resourced schools, putting students of color and low-income students at a disadvantage when applying to college. Furthermore, many colleges and universities’ admissions processes emphasize standardized test scores, which often under-predict the potential of many students of color.
Additionally, the research brief discusses the opportunities and challenges that can accompany holistic review in admissions. In these processes, admissions staff seek to gain a better understanding of the whole student, such as their learning habits, interests, leadership, athletic talent, and other traits. If carefully done, a holistic review can improve equal opportunity without reducing the academic or other talents of incoming classes. However, these reviews can also give preference to already advantaged students, such as legacy students.
To ensure admissions practices are fair for students of all backgrounds, the report offers several recommendations for policymakers. Several states, such as Texas and California, use guaranteed admissions programs that secure admission to state public universities for students who graduate in the top of their class from public high schools. If other states were to implement such programs, college access could be greatly improved for talented Black students and other students of color. The report also calls for institutions to engage in broad recruitment strategies and collect data on the race, class, and gender identities of their students and applicants, ensuring each college and university can meet their goals for an inclusive and diverse student body.
