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Are University Admissions Academically Fair?

Author

Listed:
  • Debopam Bhattacharya

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Shin Kanaya

    (University of Aarhus)

  • Margaret Stevens

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

Admission practices at high-profile universities are often criticized for undermining academic merit. Popular tests for detecting such biases suffer from omitted characteristic bias. We develop a bounds-based test to circumvent this problem. We assume that students who are better qualified on observableswould, on average, appear academically stronger to admission officers based on unobservables. This assumption reveals the sign of differences in admission standards across demographic groups that are robust to omitted characteristics. Applying our methods to admissions data from a British university, we find higher admission standards for men and slightly higher ones for private school applicants, despite equal admission success probability across gender and school background.

Suggested Citation

  • Debopam Bhattacharya & Shin Kanaya & Margaret Stevens, 2017. "Are University Admissions Academically Fair?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 99(3), pages 449-464, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:99:y:2017:i:3:p:449-464
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    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/REST_a_00618
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    Cited by:

    1. Bhattacharya, Debopam, 2013. "Evaluating treatment protocols using data combination," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 173(2), pages 160-174.
    2. Arcidiacono, Peter & Kinsler, Josh & Ransom, Tyler, 2022. "Asian American Discrimination in Harvard Admissions," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    3. Wang, Yunyun & Chen, Ting & Xiang, Xunyong, 2025. "More than just grades: The role of physical attractiveness in college admission processes," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    4. Karlsson, Linn & Wikström, Magnus, 2021. "Gender differences in admission scores and first-year university achievement," Umeå Economic Studies 1001, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    5. Bhattacharya, D. & Shvets, J., 2022. "Inferring the Performance Diversity Trade-Off in University Admissions: Evidence from Cambridge," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2238, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    6. Bhattacharya, D. & Rabovic, R., 2020. "Do Elite Universities Practise Meritocratic Admissions? Evidence from Cambridge," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2056, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    7. Sevilla, Almudena & Borra, Cristina, 2015. "Parental Time Investments in Children: The Role of Competition for University Places in the UK," IZA Discussion Papers 9168, IZA Network @ LISER.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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