College Admissions in the Context of Institutional Mission Statements

This paper discusses the issues of fairness and diversity in college admissions from historical, psychometric, and institution-centric perspectives. It discusses the different and contradictory definitions of fairness and bias, especially with respect to admissions tests, and how those differences lead to different admissions policies. Many of the disputes in admissions testing result from group differences in test scores, score patterns that lead to lesser numbers of ethnic minority students enrolled at selective colleges. Historical reasons for these differences are discussed, as are some psychometric models for assessing fairness. At issue is the degree to which student bodies are diverse, representative, and academically prepared. Finally, it argues that institutional values should guide the nature of each institution of higher education, and in so doing, drive admission programs and, hence, dictate admission testing policies