An organization known as the Institute for Higher Education Policy has released a report on inequities in the college admissions process. And our readers know what we think about reports. Remember the “Turning the Tide” report released by the Harvard Graduate School of Education? These lengthy, fancy schmancy reports so often say what everyone already knows before even opening the report: there are gross inequities within the college admissions process. Contributing factors include legacy admission, the admission of recruited athletes, standardized testing, the background of parents, the quality of high school attended, and so much more. Duh, right? So what has the Institute for Higher Education Policy come up with in this brand new report, entitled “Realizing the Mission of Higher Education Through Equitable Admissions Policies”? Wonder no more!

As Scott Jaschik reports for Inside Higher Ed in a piece entitled “Policies That Hurt Minority Applicants,” “Many colleges ‘continue to use admissions policies that disproportionately and gratuitously benefit students from white and affluent families,’ according to a new report on admissions from the Institute for Higher Education Policy, financed by the Joyce Foundation. ‘Such policies judge applicants based on factors like whether and where their parents attended college, the resources and connections of the high school they attend, and their ability to afford expensive test preparation materials, rather than their academic potential,’ says the report, ‘Realizing the Mission of Higher Education Through Equitable Admissions Policies.'”

And the contributing factors to the inequities in the college admissions process, as according to the report? As Jaschik reports, the authors point to needed improvement in minority recruitment, Demonstrated Interest policies, Early Decision policies, legacy admissions, the consideration of standardized tests, questions about the criminal justice system, weak transfer pathways, and needed investment in financial aid. So yes, it seems to us that the report is one big, giant duh! Yes, indeed, these are all contributing factors to inequity in the college admissions process (along with other factors). And the sky is blue and water is wet.