Poll: Americans split on fairness of college admissions

BOSTON — As a sweeping bribery scandal reignites debate over college admissions, a pair of polls reveal that many Americans think the nation’s universities place too much emphasis on factors such as wealth, family ties and athletic ability.

The surveys, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Higher Education Analytics Center at NORC, finds Americans about evenly divided on the overall fairness of college admissions, but their views on individual selection criteria reveal a rift between the factors they see as important and the factors they think colleges value.

The polls were conducted in March and April, weeks after federal prosecutors accused 33 parents of paying bribes to cheat on their children’s college entrance tests or get them into elite schools including Stanford, Yale and Georgetown. In some cases, investigators said, parents paid bribes to get their children labeled as recruited athletes for sports they didn’t even play.

Against that backdrop, some college counselors said they expected wide distrust of the admissions process. Instead, the results were mixed: about four in 10 say they think the process is fair, while a similar share said it’s unfair. About 20% are neutral.

“Following the scandal I actually expected the floor to give out,” said Mark Sklarow, CEO of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. “Maybe it just confirmed concerns that people already had, that the system isn’t fair or at the very least unclear.”

Spencer Buettgenbach, 24, of Topeka, Kansas, said the scandal affirmed his view that the college admissions process is all about money. Most colleges want students who will cover their own tuition, he said, and ideally come with a donation from their parents.

“It’s become more of a numbers game than it is finding the people who have aptitude or talent,” Buettgenbach said, who attended three terms of college and now works in retail. “The people who have the money to make things happen, they get to go to school.”

Overall, Americans are most likely to say they think high school grades and standardized test scores should be important in admissions, and majorities agree colleges value those factors, too. Similarly, many think extracurricular activities should play a role and say colleges take them into account.

But on other criteria, there’s a clash between the way Americans think students should be picked and the way they think colleges actually operate.

Nearly four in 10, for example, say they think colleges give significant weight to legacy status, or whether a student has a family member who attended the school, but just 11% say they think it should be important. Many similarly think colleges consider whether a student’s family has donated money to the school, but few say it should matter.

When it comes to athletic ability, about a third say they think it should be an important factor, but a slim majority think it actually is.

BJ Taylor, 70, said he has no problem with colleges that consider athletic talent. “It’s important for their notoriety, their reputation,” said Taylor, a professional disc jockey in Raytown, Missouri. “And keeping physical activity in the limelight is a real need as well.”

Some who work in college admissions say they face business realities the public doesn’t always appreciate. Fielding a talented sports team can boost revenue. Helping legacy students can encourage alumni to donate. All that adds money across campus, said Stefanie Niles, president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.