Race Is Not a Major Factor in Decisions on Who Is Admitted to College

The annual report State of College Admission from the National Association for College Admission Counseling finds that only 2.3 percent of all colleges place considerable importance on the race or ethnic background of an applicant when making admissions decisions. Another 15.5 percent of colleges and universities place “moderate importance” on race in their decisions. More than three quarters of all colleges and universities say that race and ethnicity have “no importance” on who is, or is not, admitted to their institutions.

Race was more likely to be considered important by colleges and universities in New England, the Middle Atlantic states, and the far western states. Small colleges were more likely than large universities to consider race an important factor. Nearly 8 percent of the colleges and universities that accept fewer than 50 percent of all applicants say that race is of considerable importance in their admissions decisions.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.