This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Rose, H. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The Effects of Affirmative Action Programs: Evidence From the University of California at San Diego

Public Policy Institute of California

Using administrative data from the University of California at San Diego, the author explicitly identifies and studies students admitted under affirmative action programs. On average, these students earned grade point averages (GPAs) 0.30 points lower than those of nonaffirmative students. The difference in graduation rates is larger, with 57% of affirmative action students graduating compared to 73% of their nonaffirmative action peers. When compared to students just above the regular admissions cutoff, the differences are smaller—the difference in graduation rates is only 8 percentage points, and the difference in GPAs is only 0.20 points. A student’s family, school, and neighborhood characteristics can explain a small part of these differences, but academic preparation explains most of the difference.

Key Words: affirmative action • college admissions • college performance

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 27, No. 3, 263-289 (2005)
DOI: 10.3102/01623737027003263


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?