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Should This Factor Be Considered in College Admissions Decisions?

Should This Factor Be Considered in College Admissions Decisions?
2/27/2019
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Susan Dutca-Lovell

Almost three-fourths of people surveyed by the Pew Research Center are against consideration of race when it comes to college admissions decisions. Only 7 percent believe it should be a major factor and 19 percent say it should be a minor factor. These views were reportedly shared by "solid majorities of white, black, Latino and Asian Americans."

In 2016, after the Supreme Court affirmed the right of colleges to consider race in admissions, a Gallup poll indicated that approximately two-thirds of the public disagreed with the Supreme Court. Only 9 percent believed that race should be a major factor in admissions decisions, and 27 percent said it should be considered a minor factor. The survey did not end there.

When Americans were asked what should be major and minor factors in college admissions decisions, 67 percent said high school grades should be a major factor, followed by standardized test scores, with 47 percent. Beyond academics, nearly half (47 percent) of those surveyed said that being first in family to go to college should be either a major or minor factor.

Although 73 percent of polled Americans opposed consideration of race in college admissions decisions, 68 percent opposed consideration of legacy status and 57 percent opposed consideration of athletic ability. In your opinion, what factors should and/or should not be considered in college admissions decisions, and why?

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