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Admissions
College Admissions a Competitive Game
College admissions in today's higher education world may seem almost arbitrary to the parents of would-be freshmen armed with high grades, competitive test scores and activity-filled resumes. But just why one student is accepted and another rejected is complicated, as admissions officials readily acknowledge.
The college admissions process has grown more complex as increasing numbers of college-age students seek higher education. Today, campuses across the country are watching enrollments swell. They expect those numbers to climb well into this decade because more people fit into the 18-24 college-age bracket. These students are children of the baby boom generation, which decades ago also created a bulge in college enrollment.
Along with greater numbers of college students comes greater attention to college admissions overall.
While most of the nation's colleges accept any qualified applicants, the fact that increasing numbers of students apply to some of the nation's highly-selective public and private institutions has only made them more appealing. College and universities with more applicants than slots in the freshmen class are largely responsible for some of the current perceived admissions crunch.
The notion of selectivity has fueled the competition. Colleges and universities strive to boost their reputations with selective admissions and students who are accepted take special pride in being admitted to such campuses. Even though only 10 percent of the nation’s high school seniors apply to these schools, much national attention has focused on this narrow group of schools and students.
Furthering the competition even more are the rankings like those of US News and World Report magazine. Although a few other newspapers and magazines have followed suit with their own ratings systems, the US News list has gained the most notoriety and has become something of a scorecard for parents and students to use as they consider higher education choices.
This competition has even reached the state universities, where flagships that once were accessible to most students are now rejecting many higher achievers just like private universities do. As those flagships become more selective their student population tends to be wealthier and the moniker of "the New Ivy League" becomes more plausible.
Also, admissions criteria are rapidly changing as institutions re-think some longtime practices and adhere to new legal rulings regarding affirmative action. In the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2003 ruling, it allowed affirmative action in college admissions to achieve racial diversity but said that quota systems were unconstitutional.
The court's action marked the first time since 1978 that the Supreme Court issued a ruling regarding affirmative action in college admissions. In the earlier decision, often referred to as the Bakke decision, the high court struck down the use of quotas in college admissions but said that colleges could consider race to further the goal of a diverse student body.
Because colleges and universities in California, Texas and Florida could not use affirmative action, they implemented various percentage plans to increase racial diversity. Under their systems, certain percentages of students with top grades were guaranteed a seat in the states’ colleges, regardless of standardized test scores. Those plans are still in effect.
Changes in admissions rules began rippling across the country over the past few years, leaving no doubt that the use of race in college admissions would once again reach the high court for a decision affecting a new generation of students. The Supreme Court decision did not specify how colleges might implement affirmative action within their admissions practices, thus leaving open the possibility that some campuses might face legal challenges depending upon the particulars of their policies. Since the ruling, college admissions officers have studied it to determine just how to revise admissions policies. As an example, Texas A&M, which will not use race as an admissions factor, has since eliminated its practice of legacy admissions, which granted children, grandchildren and siblings of alumni an admissions preference.
Critics have blasted legacy preferences, largely because they favor wealthier, mostly white applicants at a time institutions are trying to increase racial diversity. Also, students with special talents, such as athletes and musicians, or to those from VIP families, including donors and politicians, often receive special admissions consideration
Detailing how such preferences for the children of alumni and donors affects admissions at the nation’s campuses earned reporter Daniel Golden of the Wall Street Journal a 2004 Pulitzer Prize for beat reporting.
Even before the court decision, there has been a shift away from standarized test scores as a determining factor and toward a more individualized approach to admissions. At least two campuses, the University of California and the University of Texas, have moved to reduce the weight they give to standardized tests such as the SAT. Critics of such tests have said minority students don't fare as well because the tests are culturally biased and others say that prep courses give wealthier students an advantage over those who can't afford to take the costly classes.
While admissions policies vary greatly from campus to campus and state to state, it is clear that standards for admitting students to higher education institutions will continue to evolve.
Things to think about:
- Can colleges create policies that will equalize consideration of their applicants? Is it possible to create more uniform standards or is it more likely that even large institutions will have to individualize their processes?
- Should the SAT or other standardized test be replaced as a college entrance criterion? Would high school exit tests serve the same purpose?
- How should colleges revise admissions policies to consider race without using a point or quota system?
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Taking the $ATs
Before the financial crisis hit, eighth-graders across the country were scheduled to take a new test this fall*, their first to get into college. The exam is called ReadiStep, and it's a new standardized test that simultaneously says it's "low-stakes" while also being a "vital step" toward getting ready to get a bachelor's degree. But the test is not provided by the federal government. Nor is it a brainchild of state and local school boards or mandated by No Child Left Behind. It's provided by the College Board, the same organization that administers the PSAT and the SAT. Chadwick Matlin, The Big Money.com, 5/15/2009
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10% Admissions -- the Full Impact
Texas legislators may be on the verge of changing one of the most notable admissions experiments in recent years: a state law requiring that all public colleges and universities automatically admit all of those who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, 4/6/2009
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Tim McDonough
Director of Public Affairs, American Council on Education
Washington, DC
(202) 939-9300
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Tom Mortenson
Higher Education Policy Analyst, Postsecondary OPPORTUNITY
Oskaloosa, IA
(641) 673-3401
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Jerome Sullivan
Director, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers
Washington, DC
(202) 293-9161
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George Boggs
President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
Washington, DC
(202) 728-0200
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American Association for Affirmative Action
News, information and resources from the professional organization for the advancement of affirmative action and equal opportunity programs in the United States.
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Affirmative Action and Diversity Project
A site bringing together voices on all sides of the affirmative action debate.
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The Civil Rights Project
The Civil Rights Project is a resource organization and its site contains contacts for examining diversity and affirmative action efforts at colleges and universities.
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Diversity Web
A branch of the American Association of Colleges and Universities with a vast collection of interactive resources on affirmative action and postsecondary diversity initiatives.
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BAMN
Fully known as the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, this organization, consisting of chapters primarily composed of students, was born as a co-defendant in the case of the University of Michigan Law School affirmative action case, Grutter v. Bollinger.
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National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Copy
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education promotes public policies that enhance Americans' opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school.
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Pathways to College
The Pathways to College Network is a national alliance of organizations and funders dedicated to focusing research-based knowledge and resources on improving college preparation, access, and success for underserved students, including low-income students, underrepresented minorities, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.
The website offers publications and resources that are useful to reporters.
Pathways to College
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Assessing the Impact of Eliminating Affirmative Action in Higher Education
This study in the new issue of the Journal of Labor Economics is the latest to project declines in black and Latino enrollmentat certain institutions if all colleges had to use race-neutral admissions policies. Chicago Journals, Jan. 11, 2010
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Taking the $ATs
Before the financial crisis hit, eighth-graders across the country were scheduled to take a new test this fall*, their first to get into college. The exam is called ReadiStep, and it's a new standardized test that simultaneously says it's "low-stakes" while also being a "vital step" toward getting ready to get a bachelor's degree. But the test is not provided by the federal government. Nor is it a brainchild of state and local school boards or mandated by No Child Left Behind. It's provided by the College Board, the same organization that administers the PSAT and the SAT. Chadwick Matlin, The Big Money.com, 5/15/2009
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10% Admissions -- the Full Impact
Texas legislators may be on the verge of changing one of the most notable admissions experiments in recent years: a state law requiring that all public colleges and universities automatically admit all of those who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, 4/6/2009
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George Boggs
President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
Washington, DC
(202) 728-0200
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The College Admissions Problem Revisited
A look at trends in acceptance and enrollment from an econometrics standpoint.
Econometrica - Alvin E. Roth and Marilda Sotomayor, 5/1/1989
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Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HR 4137)
It's been called one of the most important pieces of legislation to affect the higher education community in a decade. The House and Senate passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, five years after its inception. Lawmakers believe the legislation will help make college more affordable for American families who've seen tuition sky-rocket in the millennium. The bill addresses the following: expansion of the Pell grant program for college students, require that colleges to report more information about their spending and fess and the U.S. Department of Education will have more say over the student loan industry. Read the act here. See comments from U.S Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Tom Carper (D-DE) about Congress passing the legislation. Also read this Inside Higher Education story about HEA.
8/1/2008
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Minorities in Higher Education 22nd Annual Status Report: 2007 Supplement
While students of color continue to make gains in college enrollment, they continue to lag behind their white peers in the percentage of 18- to 24-year-old high school graduates who enroll in college.
The American Council on Education - Bryan J. Cook and Diana I. Cordova, 9/19/2007
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Southern Regional Education Board's Fact Book on Higher Education
Billed as one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of comparative data on higher education, the Fact Book has data on long-term trends and developments in higher education in 16 southern states. State-by-state summaries and quick facts are also included.
Southern Regional Education Board, 7/1/2007
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University of Michigan Cases
Reference and research materials from the University of Michigan's Library Documents Center on the Gratz and Hamacher / Grutter v. Regents of the University of Michigan cases.
University of Michigan Documents Center, 7/21/2004
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University of California v. Bakke
Arguments, outcomes and implications of the 1978 court battle that set a precedent for affirmative action in higher education.
Landmark Supreme Court Cases, 7/21/2004
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Affirmative Action: Issues in Depth
Though it requires a log-in, the Chronicle's Affirmative Action page is a comprehensive collection of articles, documents, opinions and editorials related to the issue from Bakke to Michigan. Note: the most recent story is from 2006.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/21/2004
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Affirmative Action: Playing Favorites
A collection of information opposed to affirmative action policies.
Liberty Page - Mark D. Valenti, 7/21/2004
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Ed.gov Reading Room
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights offers a number of publications and documents related to affirmative action and equal access to the classroom.
Department of Education, 7/21/2004
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Diversity in Higher Education
National Association for College Admission Counseling's resource page on affirmative action and diversity resources related to higher education.
National Association for College Admission Counseling, 7/1/2004
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Legal Overview of Affirmative Action
The American Association of University Professors offers this guide to affirmative action court cases, as well as this collection of documents, stories and information on diversity policies.
American Association of University Professors , 4/1/2004
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State of College Admissions Survey
An annual report based on national surveys of higher education institutions and college counselors.
National Association for College Admission Counseling - David A. Hawkins, 2/1/2004
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Why Equity Matters: Implications for a Democracy
A paper from the University of Southern California on diversity in higher education, along with links to other useful related papers and information.
University of Southern California, 1/1/2004
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ECS Policy Brief
Information and links on affirmative action compiled by the Education Commission of the States.
Education Commission of the States - Dale DeCesare, 7/1/2003
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Admissions Decision Making Models
Research from the College Board includes information on how U.S. colleges and universities make decisions regarding undergraduate student acceptance.
The College Board, 1/1/2003
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Trends in College Admission
College admissions standards, guidelines and tests are scrutinized in this multi-survey report from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.
Association for Institutional Research - Hunter Breland, James Maxey, Renee Gernand, tammie Cumming and Catherine Trapani, 3/1/2002
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Rhetoric and Reality
A report from the Institute on Higher Education Policy on the federal tax policy and higher education financing.
Institute on Higher Education Policy - Thomas R. Wolanin, 5/1/2001
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The Positional Arms Race in Higher Education
A discussion paper on the increasingly competitive market for undergraduate education, as well as a collection of other papers.
Williams Project on the Economics of Higher Education - Gordon C. Winston, 4/1/2000
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Clashes of Money and Values: A Survey of Admissions Directors
Admissions counselors like to talk about finding the right "fit" for applicants -- a great match between a student's educational and other goals and an institution's programs. But a new survey of the senior admissions officials at colleges nationwide finds that this "fit" is, from many colleges' point of view, increasingly about money. Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, Sept. 21, 2011
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Chicago Tribune wins privacy ruling against University of Illinois
A federal judge has concluded that a federal privacy act does not bar the University of Illinois from releasing information about hundreds of college applicants who appeared on an internal list of well-connected students, the basis for the Tribune's 2009 "Clout Goes to College" investigation. Antonio Olivo, Chicago Tribune, March 9, 2011
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College for All or College for Some?
A new report from Harvard University, “Pathways to Prosperity,” made a big splash in the education community last week (the report's authors will be speaking at EWA's National Seminar). It sparked an intense debate about whether we should be preparing all students for college or only some of them. The bottom line, however, is that we need to make multiple educational opportunities available to all students. Jeremy Ayers, Center for American Progress, Feb. 8, 2011
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University of Texas admission policy upheld
In 1996, a federal appeals court effectively banned affirmative action in admissions at the University of Texas in a case known as Hopwood. On Tuesday, the same court reversed course, ruling that the university's consideration of race and ethnicity passes constitutional muster. Ralph K.M. Haurwitz, Austin American-Statesman, Jan. 18, 2011
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Is Law School a Losing Game?
Number-fudging games among law schools are endemic, professors and deans say, because the fortunes of law schools rise and fall on rankings, with reputations and huge sums of money hanging in the balance. You may think of law schools as training grounds for new lawyers, but that is just part of it. David Segal, The New York Times, Jan. 8, 2011
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To Pump Up Degree Counts, Colleges Invite Dropouts Back
One idea for improving the nation's college-completion rate sounds simple enough: Find former students who have already earned enough credits to receive a degree, or need just a few more classes to do so, and encourage them to graduate. Jennifer Gonzalez, Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct. 24, 2010
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College Waitlist Secrets Revealed
As if the college applications process wasn't drawn out enough, more colleges are putting a greater number of applicants on waitlists, a survey of admissions officers finds. But the good news is that many colleges eventually accept more students off those lists. And colleges are starting to reveal details about how they decide whom to choose from their waitlists. Many students may be surprised to learn that besides standard factors such as the student's grades and eagerness to attend the college, some colleges also consider an applicant's prospective major, home state, or ability to pay the school's full price. Kim Clark, U.S. News & World Report, Oct. 25, 2010
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Opinion: Why Aren't Our Teachers the Best and the Brightest?
Why don't more of our smartest, most accomplished college graduates want to become teachers? Three of the top-performing school systems in the world -- those in Finland, Singapore and South Korea -- recruit 100 percent of their teachers from the top third of their high school and college students. They tap their best people for the job. Paul Kihn and Matt Miller, Washington Post, Oct. 10, 2010
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Remedial education a degree logjam
With the economy in the doldrums, millions of students are streaming into America’s community colleges, most hoping they have embarked on the pathway to a good job or career. Unfortunately, many never make it past what’s been dubbed the great “logjam” of higher education: remedial math. Melissa Ludwig, San Antonio Express, July 21, 2010
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Education Dept. Will Release Stricter Rules for For-Profits but Delays One on 'Gainful Employment'
After an intense lobbying effort by for-profit colleges, the Education Department announced it will postpone the release of a rule that proprietary institutions said would shutter thousands of their programs. Kelly Field and Jennifer Gonzalez, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 16, 2010
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Hefty wait lists shield colleges but unsettle students
This spring, some colleges in the Washington region have assembled waiting lists that rival the size of their incoming freshman classes, a measure of their uncertainty at a volatile time in higher education. Daniel de Vise, May 17, 2010
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TN colleges phase in graduation reforms
Students who enter Tennessee's public colleges and universities this fall will get the first taste of new policies designed to ensure they stay there until graduation.Jennifer Brooks, The Tennessean, April 22, 2010
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As College Wait Lists Grow, So Does The Anxiety
An unusually large number of high school seniors this year are still waiting to find out where they're going to college this fall, because colleges have put more of them on wait lists. One of the 10,000 students wait-listed this year at the University of California is Jevante Davis, who had his heart set on UC-Santa Barbara. Tovia Smith, National Public Radio, April 22, 2010
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10 years in, ‘One Florida’ posts mixed results for minorities at universities
Ten years after Florida banned affirmative-action admissions, minority enrollment in the State University System hasn't kept pace with the number of minorities graduating from high school, an Orlando Sentinel analysis has found.Scott Powers And Luis Zaragoza, Orlando Sentinel, April 12, 2010
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More California youth applying to out-of-state universities, say admission officers
With the state's higher education system in crisis, more California students are vying for admission at out-of-state universities, applying for seats at campuses from the hills of upstate New York to the snowy flatlands of Ohio to the deserts of Arizona. Lisa M. Krieger, San Jose Mercury News, March 12, 2010
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Colleges Market Easy, No-Fee Sell to Applicants
Over the last few years, the tiny College of Saint Rose in Albany has seen applications increase at least 25 percent annually, minority admissions rise and its standing in the U.S. News and World Report rankings climb more than 20 rungs. Jacques Steinberg, The New York Times, Jan. 26, 2010
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College applicants face intensifying competition
College applicants are facing one of the toughest years ever to gain admission to the nation's public colleges and universities as schools grapple with deep budget cuts and record numbers of applications. Terence Chea, Associated Press, Jan. 15
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Ky.'s new admissions rules will increase need for remedial courses
Kentucky's higher education institutions are bracing for a spike in students needing remedial reading and math next year — a result of a tougher admissions regulation intended to ensure students have the skills needed to do college work. Nancy C. Rodriguez, The Louisville Courier- Journal, Dec. 3, 2009
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Mixed Outlook on Foreign Students
The data being released today through the annual "Open Doors" study by the Institute of International Education might in any other year be cause for celebration for American educators. Record numbers of international students enrolling in the United States. Record numbers of American students traveling abroad for part of their education. Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, Nov. 16, 2009
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Class Advantage
Between 1955 and 2005, college enrollments increased to 17.5 million from 2.6 million -- and the percentage of high school graduates seeking some higher education increased to 70 percent from 45 percent. Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, Oct. 2, 2009
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'The Chinese Are Coming'
Carleton College has 18 new students from China this year, and they are paying about half of their own expenses. In the past few years, the number of annual applications from China has grown to 300 from 50 or 60 most years. Even as admissions officials welcome the interest, many are concerned about a range of issues -- practical and ethical -- that come with recruiting and evaluating these students. Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, Sept. 28, 2009
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Adding Personality to the College Admissions Mix
For years, colleges have asked applicants for their grade-point averages and standardized test scores.Now, schools like Boston College, DePaul University and Tufts University also want to measure prospective students' personalities.Using recently developed evaluation systems, these schools and others are aiming to quantify so-called noncognitive traits such as leadership, resilience and creativity. Colleges say such assessments are boosting the admissions chances for some students who might not have qualified based solely on grades and traditional test scores. Robert Tomsho, The Wall Street Journal, August 21, 2009
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The Real Secret of College Admissions
The high school seniors trudge up my front steps, carrying résumés and wearing uneasy smiles. They are deferential, even desperate. My children refer to them simply as "the applicants." David L. Marcus, U.S. News and World Report, August 20, 2009
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Colleges Trying to Firm Up Shaky Freshman Enrollment
For the first time since 2006, the University of Maryland and Virginia Tech created lists of applicants who might get spots in this year's freshman class if enough admitted students decide at the last minute not to attend. Wait lists help colleges cope in uncertain times. And this summer, colleges are particularly worried about "melt" -- the slow drip of attrition in fall enrollment as students who have paid their deposits contemplate writing their first tuition checks. Daniel de Vise, The Washington Post, August 13, 2009
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Undocumented Immigrants Spend Millions Extra on Tuition
More than two years after Arizona voters passed a law denying in-state college tuition and other state-funded benefits to undocumented immigrants, thousands of people are still applying for those services and being turned away. Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press
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ASU pushing for new 3-year college
Arizona State University wants to develop a network of lower-priced colleges where students could earn bachelor's degrees in just three years. Anne Ryman, The Arizona Republic, August 3, 2009
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U. of I. athletic boosters get special treatment
Devoted donors to the Fighting Illini are often thanked with prime stadium seats, first crack at tickets to bowl games or a chance to meet some of the school's marquee players. But a few patrons of the University of Illinois' athletic programs also try to use the department's prestige to give applicants they know an edge in the competitive admissions process, according to newly released campus records. An ongoing ChicagoTribune investigation reveals an admissions system subject to outside influences. Tara Malone, Stephanie Banchero and Jodi S. Cohen, Chicago Tribune, July 10, 2009
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Taking the $ATs
Before the financial crisis hit, eighth-graders across the country were scheduled to take a new test this fall*, their first to get into college. The exam is called ReadiStep, and it's a new standardized test that simultaneously says it's "low-stakes" while also being a "vital step" toward getting ready to get a bachelor's degree. But the test is not provided by the federal government. Nor is it a brainchild of state and local school boards or mandated by No Child Left Behind. It's provided by the College Board, the same organization that administers the PSAT and the SAT. Chadwick Matlin, The Big Money.com, 5/15/2009
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10% Admissions -- the Full Impact
Texas legislators may be on the verge of changing one of the most notable admissions experiments in recent years: a state law requiring that all public colleges and universities automatically admit all of those who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Education, 4/6/2009
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Colleges Work Harder To Lure New Students
A down economy usually means a bump in enrollment at colleges and universities: Applications tend to go up as job prospects go down. But in this recession, private colleges especially are finding themselves working harder to fill their freshman classes. By Tovia Smith, National Public Radio, 3/31/2009
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New Study Reveals Immigrant Blacks Outpace Native Blacks and Whites in Selective College Enrollment
High school students from Black immigrant populations enroll in selective colleges at a higher rate than U.S.-born Blacks and Whites, because they have greater access to resources that influence postsecondary success. by Michelle J. Nealy, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 3/24/2009
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Anxious college hopefuls look for reassurance online
In a twist on the college admissions frenzy, thousands of students are putting their test scores, grade-point averages and other stats on college discussion websites, hoping their peers will reassure them they're on their way to their dream schools. By Gale Holland and Seema Mehta The Los Angeles Times, 3/20/2009
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The 10% Fight Is Back
by Scott Jaschik
Location. Location. Location. That's the theory in real estate, and new research suggests that the same theory may apply to graduation rates, too. Attend a more selective institution and you are more likely to graduate. That may not seem shocking, if you assume that better students attend more competitive institutions. But the new study focuses on the impact of the "10 percent" admissions system in Texas.
Inside Higher Education, 1/12/2009
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Alabama's two-year colleges are asking for identification to curb admission to illegal immigrants
by Kent Faulk
A new policy aimed at keeping illegal immigrants from enrolling in Alabama two-year colleges has required extra paperwork and training for campus admission officials and given headaches to at least a few prospective students.
The Birmingham News, 1/4/2009
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SAT Changes Policy, Opening Rift With Colleges
by Sara Rimer
This March, high school juniors taking the SAT will have the option of choosing which scores to send to colleges while hiding those they do not want admissions officials to see. The new policy is called Score Choice, and the College Board hopes it will reduce student stress around the SAT and college admissions. But when it comes to college admissions, few things are ever simple. Some highly selective colleges have already said that they will not go along with Score Choice, and the policy is stirring heated debate among high school counselors and college admissions officials.
New York Times, 12/31/2008
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Once-mighty SAT losing its clout
by Peter Schworm
Finora Franck didn't study for her first go-round with the SAT, and it showed. Now the senior at Boston Latin School is keeping her flashcards close at hand, hoping the algebra and geometry formulas will stick this time. Increasingly, colleges are coming over to Franck's point of view. The SAT (formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test), that longtime teenage bugaboo and pillar of the college admissions process, is under heavy assault on several fronts.
The Boston Globe, 11/24/2008
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For some college freshmen, the first day of school comes a bit late
by Larry Gordon
Lindsey Mathias was confused and disappointed at first when she opened the thick, much-awaited envelope from the University of Southern California this spring. The letter inside told her she had been accepted to the Los Angeles university but also said she could not enroll until January. She is part of an increasingly common trend in U.S. higher education: freshmen who are told to arrive on campus in January or February.
The Los Angeles Times, 8/21/2008
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Cheating on ACT, SAT college entrance exams has few consequences
by Carla Rivera
A group of students at a Los Angeles high school is suspected of cheating on the ACT college entrance exam by paying a former student, who used fraudulent identification, to take the tests. The testing agency recently began investigating the claims, which could result in cancellation of scores provided to colleges. But those colleges will not be told why the scores are invalid, nor will the students' high school be clued in. In all likelihood, the students will simply retake the test with few consequences.
The Los Angeles Times, 7/14/2008
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U.S. Schools Tap Growing Ranks of Chinese Students
by Larry Abramson
As more and more Chinese go to college, U.S. universities are trying to grab a piece of this growing market. Exchange students were once motivated by a desire to spread international understanding, but now many feel that global education is important to their success in the job market.
National Public Radio, 5/29/2008
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Tougher than ever for Texas students to get into college
by Karen Ayres
The number of graduating seniors is expected to decline from this year's high of 3.3 million students nationwide over the next several years, but it is projected to grow by 20 percent in Texas, according to figures from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Texas' growing population, fueled by an increase in young Hispanics, will make it harder for students vying for a limited number of seats and scholarship dollars in their home state.
Dallas Morning News, 4/17/2008
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College rejection isn't the end of the world
by Seema Mehta
Today's high school seniors who received envelopes thick and thin this spring from the likes of Harvard, UC Berkeley and USC can learn a thing or two from their brothers and sisters in rejection. Their worlds did not crumble, and their lives largely worked themselves out many grudgingly attended their second choices and surprised themselves by falling in love with campuses they once sneered at.
The Los Angeles Times, 4/14/2008
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Higher learning's higher competition
by Liz Bowie
In college admissions, it is the year of unprecedented uncertainty. Admissions deans such as John Latting at the Johns Hopkins University walked a tightrope as they tried to estimate how many students to accept to fill their freshman classes. A bump in the population - a so-called baby boomlet - means that a record number of high school seniors are applying to college this year.
The Baltimore Sun, 4/11/2008
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SAT scores for students who used test-prep firm may be thrown out
by Staci Hupp
Parents across North Texas worried Thursday that their children's scores on college-entrance exams will be thrown out - and admission into prestigious colleges along with them - because of an unusual lawsuit against a Dallas-area test-prep company.
The Dallas Morning News, 2/22/2008
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Vets often denied academic credits
by Peter Schworm
When recruiting, the military highlights its educational advantages, promising young men and women that service will give them a leg up toward a college degree and a better career. But many of the thousands of veterans who attend college after tours of duty are denied credit for military courses and specialized skills despite an accreditation system set up to award it, veterans' advocates and students say. That forces students to take more courses than they expected to, straining already thin GI Bill benefits.
The Boston Globe, 2/5/2008
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Grading Disparities Peeve Parents
by Jay Mathews
Parents nationwide are increasingly frustrated with wild variations in grading systems that, they say, are costing their children thousands of dollars in merit-based scholarships and leaving them disadvantaged in college admissions.
The Washington Post, 12/27/2007
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Colleges find new ways to retain diversity
by Robin Erb
Nearly a year after Michigan's Proposal 2 went into effect, the fight continues over what the statewide ban on affirmative action means for higher education.
The Detroit Free Press, 12/10/2007
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Political Explosion on Undocumented Students
by Elizabeth Redden
A recent legal memo from the North Carolina Community College System office broadening the definition of "open door" admissions sparked a firestorm across the state. The community college system must now admit "undocumented individuals" as out-of-state residents.
Inside Higher Education, 12/5/2007
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Does a pot bust trump a 4.0 GPA?
by Larry Gordon
As campus administrators worry about how to prevent violence like last spring's Virginia Tech shootings, students applying to college face queries about their past behavior: Were they ever severely disciplined in high school? Have they been convicted of a crime? Critics contend that the form allows colleges to invade private matters better left to the law and high school counselors.
The Los Angeles Times, 12/5/2007
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Class rank is low on many colleges' lists
by Holly K. Hacker
Under a decade-old law, a high class rank in Texas still guarantees a ticket to the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M or any other public state university - no stellar SAT scores or glowing teacher recommendations needed. But schools outside Texas are giving class rank less and less importance, according to a recent study from the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
The Dallas Morning News, 12/2/2007
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Schools balk at disclosing offenses
by Linda K. Wertheimer
High schools across the country are resisting demands from hundreds of colleges to disclose students' criminal and disciplinary records on applications, worried that minor offenses could stigmatize applicants as troublemakers and keep them from being accepted.
The Boston Globe, 11/17/2007
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