Elite College Admissions: Wealthy Applicants Twice as Likely to Gain Entry Over Middle-Class Peers with Comparable SAT Scores, New Chetty Research Reveals

Cambridge, MA – New research led by Harvard economist Raj Chetty indicates that while standardized tests like the SAT are effective in identifying student potential and increasing representation among less-affluent college applicants, elite institutions continue to admit wealthy students at significantly higher rates. The study, titled "Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges," co-authored by Chetty, David J. Deming, and John N. Friedman, highlights a persistent socioeconomic disparity in admissions.

The research, detailed in an NBER working paper, found that children from families in the top 1% of the income distribution are more than twice as likely to attend an "Ivy-Plus" college (Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago) compared to middle-class students with comparable SAT/ACT scores. This disparity suggests that factors beyond academic merit, as measured by standardized tests, play a substantial role in admissions outcomes at these highly selective private institutions.

According to the study, the high-income advantage in admissions is primarily driven by three factors: preferential treatment for children of alumni (legacy admissions), the significant weight placed on non-academic credentials (which are often stronger for affluent students from private high schools), and the recruitment of athletes, particularly in niche sports, who tend to come from higher-income backgrounds. These factors, the economists argue, are not correlated with post-college success.

Conversely, the research underscores the predictive power of standardized tests. As stated in a summary of the findings, "Standardized tests reveal substantial information about student potential." The study asserts that SAT/ACT scores and other academic credentials are highly predictive of future academic and life success, including reaching the top 1% of the earnings distribution, attending elite graduate schools, and securing positions at prestigious firms. This stands in contrast to the non-academic factors and legacy preferences that often favor wealthier applicants.

The findings raise questions about the ongoing trend among elite colleges to adopt test-optional admissions policies. While some institutions have moved away from SAT requirements, the research implies that such changes, without addressing underlying preferences, may inadvertently perpetuate existing socioeconomic inequalities by de-emphasizing objective academic measures that could benefit less-affluent, high-potential students. The study concludes that highly selective private colleges, by modifying their admissions practices, possess the capacity to significantly diversify the socioeconomic backgrounds of future leaders.