Minority Student Academic Performance Under the Uniform Admission Law: Evidence From The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

The University of Texas at Austin administrative data between 1990 and 2003 are used to evaluate claims that students granted automatic admission based on top 10% class rank underperform academically relative to lower ranked students who graduate from highly competitive high schools. Compared with White students ranked at or below the third decile, top 10% Black and Hispanic enrollees arrive with lower average standardized test scores yet consistently perform as well or better in grades, 1st-year persistence, and 4-year graduation likelihood. A similar story obtains for top 10% graduates from Longhorn high schools versus lower ranked students who graduate from highly competitive feeder high schools. Multivariate results reveal that high school attended rather than test scores is largely responsible for racial differences in college performance.