Reimagining College Admissions: A Research-to-Policy Framework
College access and opportunity cannot be reserved for the privileged few. To help policymakers, institutional and system leaders, and researchers expand college access, IHEP developed this research-to-policy framework.
Introduction to the Three Pillars
The framework is anchored by three pillars for admissions reform:
How Different Streamlined Admissions Models Shape the Student Experience
Too many students face avoidable complexity when applying to college. Administrative barriers can disproportionately discourage students from historically underrepresented and low-income backgrounds from completing applications. This pillar explores streamlined approaches to admissions that reduce uncertainty and make the process easier to navigate, such as direct, informed, and guaranteed admissions models.
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Taylor, Odle, Jennifer Delaney
What Does College Selectivity Look Like Where Most Students Enroll?
Students often overestimate how selective most institutions are. In reality, 85 percent of selective four-year colleges admit at least half of their applicants. This pillar draws on original IHEP analysis of federal data to show how selectivity is distributed across higher education and examines the continued use of practices like legacy admissions and letters of recommendation.
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What We Can—and Can’t—Learn About College Enrollment Trends from Federal Admissions Data
Since the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College ruling, policymakers and researchers have turned to federal data to understand enrollment patterns. Available data can illuminate important trends but only tell part of the story. This pillar explains what current data can tell us, where limitations lie, and why careful interpretation is essential for informing policy and practice.
Read Blog Post5.25 million workers
with a postsecondary education will be needed by the US labor market in the coming decade.
Source: The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
3 out of 4 students
report that the admissions process is complex.
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Designing a more equitable admissions system.
The college admissions system was designed to exclude students rather than expand opportunity. This framework challenges that system and calls for dismantling exclusionary structures by creating admissions centered on fairness and opportunity for all students.
