News & Events / NEW BRIEF: Rethinking Recruitment, Legacy Admissions and Other Enrollment Strategies

NEW BRIEF: Rethinking Recruitment, Legacy Admissions and Other Enrollment Strategies

Published Jul 20, 2023

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to limit the consideration of race in admissions decisions, now is the time for colleges to rethink admissions, recruitment and enrollment practices in ways that prioritize equity. When designed with equity as the top priority, recruitment, admissions, and enrollment practices can promote the inclusion — rather than the exclusion — of Black, Latinx and/or Hispanic, Indigenous, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students, as well as all students from low-income backgrounds. Today the Campaign for College Opportunity released a research series as part of its Affirming Equity, Ensuring Inclusion and Empowering Action initiative aimed at promising all Americans access a valuable college degree. The series includes an IHEP-authored brief outlining clear action steps for college leaders and admissions officials to make their campus admissions more fair:

Recruit in diverse communities and communities with high proportions of Black, Latinx and/or Hispanic, Indigenous, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students and offer innovative recruitment opportunities for students in rural areas.
End legacy admissions policies that advantage applicants who are family members of alumni and typically benefit White and wealthy students.
Eliminate demonstrated interest policies that favor applicants with the means to signal their preference to attend if admitted.
Eliminate binding early decision deadlines that disadvantage students who cannot make enrollment decisions early and without comparing financial aid awards from multiple institutions.

Read the Brief

WEBINAR: Join the Campaign for College Opportunity on July 25th at 1 pm ET to hear from legal and higher education experts, including IHEP President Mamie Voight, for a conversation exploring solutions for making college access more equitable. Register here.

IHEP’s report The Most Important Door The Will Ever Open: Realizing the Misson of Higher Education Through Equitable Admissions Policies scrutinized admissions, recruitment and enrollment practices that disproportionally harm students from historically marginalized backgrounds.

To learn more about IHEP’s response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, read President & CEO Mamie Voight’s statement.

NEW BRIEF: Rethinking Recruitment, Legacy Admissions and Other Enrollment Strategies

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