Wealthy Applicants Twice as Likely to Enter Elite Colleges, Study Finds

A recent study by Opportunity Insights, led by Harvard economists Raj Chetty, David J. Deming, and John N. Friedman, reveals a significant admissions advantage for students from high-income families at Ivy-Plus institutions. According to researcher Steve Miller, children from families in the top 1% are "more than twice as likely to attend an Ivy-Plus college as those from middle-class families with comparable SAT/ACT scores." The study further highlights that "two-thirds of this gap is due to higher admission rates for students with comparable test scores from high-income families.

The comprehensive analysis, based on federal records, tax data, and internal admissions assessments from 12 elite colleges—including the eight Ivy League schools, Stanford, Duke, MIT, and the University of Chicago—quantifies the extent to which wealth acts as a qualification. It indicates that for applicants with identical test scores, those from the top 1% of income earners were 34% more likely to be admitted than average applicants, with the top 0.1% being over twice as likely.

The researchers identified three primary factors contributing to this admissions disparity. Preferential admission for children of alumni, known as legacy admissions, accounts for 46% of the advantage. Additionally, 30% stems from higher non-academic ratings, often benefiting students from private schools with extensive extracurriculars and strong recommendation letters. The recruitment of athletes, disproportionately from high-income families, explains another 24% of the advantage.

This perpetuation of privilege at elite colleges has significant societal implications, given that these institutions produce a disproportionate share of America's leaders, including 12% of Fortune 500 CEOs and a quarter of U.S. senators. The findings underscore the ongoing debate surrounding equitable access to higher education, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling against race-based affirmative action.

The study suggests that policy changes, such as eliminating legacy preferences and re-evaluating the weight given to non-academic credentials and athletic recruitment, could substantially diversify the socioeconomic backgrounds of students at these institutions. Such reforms, the authors contend, could increase the representation of students from lower- and middle-income families without compromising academic quality.