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Recruit to Reject? Harvard and African American Applicants

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  • Peter Arcidiacono
  • Josh Kinsler
  • Tyler Ransom

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, elite colleges in the US have seen dramatic increases in applications. We provide context for part of this trend using detailed data on Harvard University that was unsealed as part of the SFFA v. Harvard lawsuit. We show that Harvard encourages applications from many students who effectively have no chance of being admitted, and that this is particularly true for African Americans. African American applications soared beginning with the Class of 2009, with the increase driven by those with lower SAT scores. Yet there was little change in the share of admits who were African American. We show that this change in applicant behavior resulted in substantial convergence in the overall admissions rates across races yet no change in the large cross-race differences in admissions rates for high-SAT applicants.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Arcidiacono & Josh Kinsler & Tyler Ransom, 2019. "Recruit to Reject? Harvard and African American Applicants," NBER Working Papers 26456, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:26456
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Peter Arcidiacono & Josh Kinsler & Tyler Ransom, 2022. "Legacy and Athlete Preferences at Harvard," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(1), pages 133-156.
    2. Oded Gurantz & Jessica Howell & Michael Hurwitz & Cassandra Larson & Matea Pender & Brooke White, 2021. "A National‐Level Informational Experiment to Promote Enrollment in Selective Colleges," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(2), pages 453-479, March.
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    5. Oded Gurantz & Michael Hurwitz & Jonathan Smith, 2017. "College Enrollment and Completion Among Nationally Recognized High‐Achieving Hispanic Students," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(1), pages 126-153, January.
    6. Peter Arcidiacono & Josh Kinsler & Tyler Ransom, 2019. "Divergent: The Time Path of Legacy and Athlete Admissions at Harvard," NBER Working Papers 26315, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    2. Fanny Landaud & Eric Maurin, 2020. "Aim High and Persevere! Competitive Pressure and Access Gaps in Top Science Graduate Programs," Working Papers halshs-03065958, HAL.

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    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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