Promoting Economic Diversity in America’s Elite Colleges Council for Opportunity in Education September 14, 2004

Extent of Economic Diversity Today Source: Anthony P. Carnevale and Stephen J. Rose, “Socioeconomic Status, Race/Ethnicity and Selective College Admissions,” The Century Foundation, New York, March 2003, Table 1.1.

Race as a Proxy for Economic Disadvantage At 28 selective colleges studied by Bowen and Bok, 86% of African Americans were middle or upper middle class. Source: William Bowen and Derek Bok, The Shape of the River (Princeton University Press, 1998), p. 49, Figure 2.12.

Extent of Economic Affirmative Action Today Source: Carnevale and Rose, “Socioeconomic Status,” p. 47.

Economic Affirmative Action Carnevale and Rose Simulation of Economic Affirmative Action in Top 146 colleges. * Pool consisting of (1) all students who have good grades and score above 1300 on the SAT (or the ACT equivalent), plus (2) economically disadvantaged students with high grades and test scores (between 1000 and 1300 on the SAT).

Economic Affirmative Action * Economic disadvantage defined as: (1) being in the bottom 40 percent by socioeconomic status (defined as parents’ income, education, and occupation); and/or (2) attending high schools with a high percentage (>25%) of students eligible for free and reduced price lunch or low percentage (<25%) of seniors going on to four year colleges. * Lottery admissions within this pool of students. * The top 146 colleges represent the most selective 10 percent of four-year colleges and are at the heart of the debate over affirmative action policies. Source: Carnevale and Rose, “Socioeconomic Status,” pp. 6, 42, and 54.

Economic Diversity Source: Carnevale and Rose, “Socioeconomic Status,” pp. 47 and 55.

Economic Affirmative Action: Graduation Rates Source: Carnevale and Rose, “Socioeconomic Status,” p. 55

Economic Affirmative Action: Public Support Source: EPIC/MRA poll (conducted January 29–February 3, 2003); Los Angeles Times poll (conducted January 30–February 2, 2003); and Newsweek poll (conducted January 16–17, 2003).

First Wave: Economic Factors in Place of Race University of California – “comprehensive review”—examining academic accomplishments in light of such obstacles as “low family income, first generation to attend college,” and “disadvantaged social or educational environment.” University of Washington – academic achievement in the context of such factors as “family income, number in family, parents’ educational level, [and] high school free lunch percent.” University of Florida – Profile Assessment – a leg up to “students who are poor, attend a low performing high school, or whose parents didn’t attend college.”

First Wave: Economic Diversity in Place of Race University Texas – considers obstacles such as “the socioeconomic background of the applicant,” “whether the applicant would be the first generation of his or her family to attend or graduate from an institution of higher education,” and “the financial status of the applicant’s school district.” * University of California at Los Angeles Law School – academic accomplishments in light of “highest level of education attained by parents; parent’ primary occupation; number of years spent in a single- parent home; age of applicant at the time of a parent’s death (if applicable); total parent income and assets during the previous year and explanation, if given, if level of income was different during applicant’s high school years; number of hours worked per week during college years; and any statement provided describing socioeconomic disadvantages overcome.”

Economic and Racial Diversity at UCLA Law School UCLA School of Law Fall 2002 SES Admission Summary SESAll Others AppsAdmitsEnrolledAppsAdmitsEnrolled Native American African American Chicano/Latino Asian White Other/Unknown Total Source: Andrea Sossin-Bergman, director of admissions, UCLA Law School, November 2002

Economic and Racial Diversity at UCLA Law School Source: Sossin-Bergman, November 2002

Second Wave: Economic Diversity on top of Race Lawrence Summers, Harvard University William Bowen, Mellon Foundation Anthony Marx, Amherst College Additional initiatives: UNC, UVA, Princeton

Next Steps Valuing Economic Diversity, and Collecting Data Financial Aid Policy (Lawrence Gladieux) Broader Issues of Preparation(Michael Timpane and Arthur Hauptman) The Role of Trio Programs

Contact Information and Sources Richard D. Kahlenberg Senior Fellow The Century Foundation 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C America’s Untapped Resource: Low-Income Students in Higher Education (Century Foundation Press, 2004), edited by Richard D. Kahlenberg, with chapters by Anthony Carnevale and Stephen Rose; Michael Timpane and Arthur Hauptman; and Lawrence Gladieux. Richard D. Kahlenberg, The Remedy: Class, Race, and Affirmative Action (New York: Basic Books, 1996)