Planning for Imminent Change in College Admissions: Research on Alternative Admission Criteria

Abstract

Recent trends in American higher education point to imminent change in the way students are reviewed for admission. The resurgence of class-based admissions in the Hopwood case and the upheaval over Proposition 209 in California have marked certain college admission criteria for possible extinction. As a result, university officials are searching for alternative admission models to protect their institutions from circumstances of legality and conflict. The authors of this article have determined an alternative admission model that may afford the desired protection from controversy, yet maintain the same degree of variability in predicting the future academic success of college students.