#college-admissions
#college-admissions

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

19 hours ago

Report says race-conscious admissions didn't close equity gaps

Diversity gains at selective colleges were found to be marginal even with race-conscious admissions practices. [ more ]

New York Post

High-schoolers worried about antisemitism, SATs are spending thousands to apply to as many colleges as possible

High school students are applying to a record-breaking number of colleges due to concerns over campus antisemitism, changing testing policies, and the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling.

College admissions consultants are seeing students applying to 20 or more schools to increase their chances in an ultra-competitive process. [ more ]

time.com

The Lottery of Getting Into Harvard

Admission to elite universities is influenced by various factors including legacy status, donations, and being a recruited athlete.

High grades and scores are crucial but not the only determinants for acceptance to selective universities. [ more ]

FlowingData

Diversity in college admissions without considering race

Factors like parent income can play a significant role in college admissions diversity.

Using scatter plots to demonstrate theoretical student admissions scenarios. [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

Education Department begins sending financial aid data: report

The U.S. Education Department is gradually sending financial aid data to colleges.

Delays in providing crucial financial aid data have impacted college admissions timelines. [ more ]

New York Post

First all-digital SAT exam, tough math section puts students to the test: 'Worst one yet'

The new all-digital SAT exam has an adaptive difficulty level, with some students finding the math section particularly challenging.

Students report feeling rushed and unprepared due to the difficulty level of the new SAT exam and the reduced test time. [ more ]

moreEducation

standardized-testing

www.pasadenastarnews.com

2 weeks ago

After pandemic pause, Caltech restores standardized testing requirement for incoming undergrads

Standardized testing requirement reinstated by Caltech and Harvard for holistic admissions considerations. [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

Decisions on tests raise broader questions (opinion)

Institutions such as Yale, Brown, and University of Texas at Austin are reverting to requiring standardized test scores for college admissions.

Yale is implementing a 'test-flexible' admission policy, allowing submission of AP and IB scores in addition to SAT and ACT scores. [ more ]

Washington Post

The SAT is coming back at some colleges. It's stressing everyone out.

The return of standardized testing in college admissions is causing confusion among students and parents.

Colleges across the country have varying policies on standardized testing requirements. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

Who Needs Paper? Many Students Embrace the All-Digital SAT.

The newest version of the SAT is now shorter, faster, and online, with positive feedback from test takers.

The SAT was updated to a digital format to cater to the generation's preferences for technology and adapt to current educational challenges. [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

In praise of the SAT

Standardized tests provide a universal data point for comparing candidates and predicting college performance.

SAT can be a tool for leveling the playing field for individuals with disadvantaged backgrounds. [ more ]

www.fastcompany.com

Here's where Ivy League colleges stand on SATs, ACTs, and standardized testing, post-pandemic

Standardized testing requirements were temporarily dropped by many colleges at the start of the pandemic, but some are now reinstating them.

Higher education institutions have varying views on the importance of standardized testing, with some asserting its reliability in predicting student success. [ more ]

morestandardized-testing

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

3 weeks ago

Artificial intelligence

Can AI make college counseling more equitable?

AVA is an AI-powered college counseling assistant meant to replicate the work of human counselors.

Concerns exist regarding AI tools like AVA potentially substituting crucial human interaction in college counseling. [ more ]

MobileAppAaily

Artificial intelligence

Your College Admission Is Now In AI's Hands

AI tool developed to improve college admissions process

AI can help prevent bias and evaluate potential objectively [ more ]

www.npr.org

3 weeks ago

This year, colleges must choose between fast financial aid offers, or accurate ones

College financial aid packages delayed due to FAFSA issues

Some colleges sending provisional aid offers to students [ more ]

www.npr.org

This year it's a slow crawl to financial aid packages for students

The U.S. Department of Education revamped FAFSA to simplify it, but delays have caused confusion and hindered aid packages distribution.

Many colleges are receiving far fewer FAFSA applications than expected, delaying the financial aid process. [ more ]

english.elpais.com

Education Department starts sending financial aid data to colleges after months of delays

Delays in federal data delivery impacting financial aid offers for colleges

FAFSA overhaul aiming to simplify form and expand federal student aid [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

Lumina Foundation grants will fund admissions projects

Lumina Foundation offering grants for admissions redesign

Encouraging initiatives that simplify college admissions [ more ]

Los Angeles Times

California effort to crack down on legacy and donor admissions could hit USC, Stanford

Legacy admissions preferences are under scrutiny in California.

California lawmaker introduced a bill to ban state financial aid to private campuses with legacy admissions preferences. [ more ]

Sacramento Bee

California bill would ban legacy admissions at private universities alumni

Ending legacy admissions in California's private colleges proposed through Assembly Bill 1780 by Assemblyman Phil Ting.

Denial of Cal Grant funding to schools practicing legacy admissions under AB 1780 is a significant move to address inequality. [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

3 weeks ago

Plunge in FAFSA completion could spark an enrollment crisis

State leaders and organizations are urgently pushing for FAFSA submissions before high school graduation.

Counselors and students are facing challenges leading to potential significant FAFSA submission drops and enrollment declines. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

4 weeks ago

Has the FAFSA Delay Changed Your Decisions Around College?

Delays and glitches with the new FAFSA application have created obstacles for families and schools.

Students are facing uncertainty and delays in receiving financial aid decisions, impacting their college choices. [ more ]

www.mercurynews.com

Bay Area students stressed by tumultuous FAFSA rollout

FAFSA application released months late with technical glitches

FAFSA submissions down by over 41% [ more ]

www.npr.org

Yet another FAFSA problem: non-citizens can't fill it out

High school seniors with parents who are not citizens are experiencing difficulties completing the FAFSA due to technical errors and lack of assistance.

These students rely on federal financial aid and scholarships to make college affordable, but are being hindered by the FAFSA errors. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

Some Colleges Are Pivoting as FAFSA Delays Drag On

Colleges are extending deadlines for applicants to register due to a delay in receiving federal financial aid data.

At least 25 schools will no longer require commitments by May 1, as they may not be able to send financial aid offers until April. [ more ]

Sacramento Bee

Should college essays touch on race? Some feel the affirmative action ruling leaves them no choice

Students of color feel pressured to exploit hardships in college essays after affirmative action is ended.

There is confusion among students about how to navigate discussing race in college essays without being penalized. [ more ]

Sacramento Bee

Should college essays touch on race? Some feel the affirmative action ruling leaves them no choice

Students of color feel pressured to exploit hardships in college essays

College essays play a significant role in admissions decisions after the end of affirmative action. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

US politics

Supreme Court Won't Block Use of Race in West Point Admissions for Now

The Supreme Court declined to temporarily block race-conscious admissions at West Point, allowing the school to continue considering race as a factor in selecting the next class.

The court's order stated that the denial should not be interpreted as expressing any view on the constitutional question, leaving the door open for future consideration of the issue. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

After Affirmative Action Ban, They Rewrote College Essays With a Key Theme: Race

Students are emphasizing their racial identities in college application essays due to the ban on affirmative action.

The Supreme Court ruling has made college admissions race-blind, hiding race and ethnicity information from admissions committees. [ more ]

Axios

Some elite colleges are rethinking SAT requirements

Yale is reconsidering its move to make standardized testing optional, joining other universities in the debate over vetting prospective students.

The correlation between SAT and ACT scores and student success is complex and uncertain, with conflicting research and viewpoints among educators. [ more ]

New York Post

Kathy Hochul's SUNY/CUNY admission scheme is simply more unfair racial discrimination

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that high school students in the top 10% of their graduating class will be automatically admitted to SUNY and CUNY schools.

The policy change could potentially negatively impact students from highly competitive schools like the Bronx High School of Science who may have previously been admitted to fine schools like SUNY Binghamton.

The new policy raises questions about whether all high schools in New York are equally rigorous and how meritocratic admissions truly are. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

A Top College Reinstates the SAT

Dartmouth College will reinstate the requirement for applicants to submit standardized test scores starting next year.

Test scores were found to be a better predictor of student success at Dartmouth compared to high school grades, essays, and recommendations. [ more ]

Above the Law

Law

Proskauer Has New Leadership - See Also

Trump's legal bills are public knowledge

The impact of SFFA v. Harvard on admissions [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

Even if They Didn't Apply, Some Students Get College Admission Offers

High school seniors are receiving unsolicited college admissions offers through direct admissions programs.

These programs are being used by states, colleges, and third-party services to identify qualified candidates and simplify the application process. [ more ]

New York Post

Bipartisan Congress wants to defund colleges over legacy admissions - it's about time

Legacy admissions could be eliminated thanks to a bipartisan bill in Congress.

The MERIT Act would ban colleges from considering legacy status in the admissions process. [ more ]

Secret NYC

SUNY & CUNY Schools Will Automatically Admit The Top 10% Of New York High Schools Students

New York is implementing a new initiative to directly admit the top 10% of high school students to SUNY and CUNY schools, expanding education opportunities in the state.

Low-income, high-achieving students tend to attend less selective postsecondary institutions, and this initiative aims to diversify accepted students based on merit. [ more ]

New York Post

SAT defended from 'misguided' attacks as test increasingly becomes optional for students

Standardized test scores have been shown to predict college grades, chances of graduation, and post-college success.

Some administrators believe that tests like the SAT and ACT are valuable predictors of academic success and can increase diversity on campus. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

The Misleading SAT Debate

Higher education is facing a standardized-test problem

Standardized test scores are a better predictor of academic success than high school grades [ more ]

Slate Magazine

4 months ago

Early Decision Benefits Rich Kids. That Doesn't Necessarily Mean That It's Evil.

Private high schools and rich public schools have a high number of early decision applications, while public schools have significantly fewer.

Early decision primarily benefits students who need the least help in getting into college. [ more ]

Entrepreneur

4 months ago

Looking For a College Admissions Consultant? Don't Miss These 3 Key Traits | Entrepreneur

The role of college consultants has evolved to become more personal and life-changing, with some charging six figures for their services.

Exceptional college consultants go beyond basic application assembly and provide positive influence, reality checks, and extensive knowledge in a student's area of interest. [ more ]

The New Yorker

4 months ago

Women

What Would Sandra Day O'Connor Have Thought About Affirmative Action for Men?

College admissions offices have historically imposed higher standards on female applicants.

Affirmative action for gender in admissions raises questions about the need for it in the future. [ more ]

New York Post

5 months ago

Wealthy Jewish families are rejecting the Ivy League for 'Plan B' schools

Wealthy Jewish families are no longer donating to Ivy League schools due to pro-Palestine rallies and anti-Israel sentiment.

High-school seniors are removing Ivy League schools from their application lists due to concerns about campus anti-semitism.

Private schools in more conservative parts of the country are becoming popular alternatives for Jewish students. [ more ]

Los Angeles Times

5 months ago