The Effect of Banning Affirmative Action on College Admissions Policies and Student Quality

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Human Resources
Year: 2014
Volume: 49
Issue: 2

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Using administrative data from the University of California (UC), we present evidence that UC campuses changed the weight given to SAT scores, high school GPA, and family background in response to California’s ban on race-based affirmative action, and that these changes were able to substantially (though far from completely) offset the fall in minority admissions rates. For both minorities and nonminorities, these changes to the estimated admissions rule hurt students with relatively strong academic credentials and whose parents were relatively affluent and educated. Despite these compositional shifts, however, average student quality (as measured by expected first-year college GPA) remained stable.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:uwp:jhriss:v:49:y:2014:ii:1:p:295-322
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24