5 Ways Elite-College Admissions Shut Out Poor Kids

Anya Kamenetz:

Often, when the media report on this phenomenon, known as undermatching, the focus is on the motivations of the students. Maybe low-income students think these schools are out of their league. In many cases, they fail to apply in the first place.

But a new report from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation takes a more pointed look at the other side of the table: the admissions policies of selective and elite colleges. (Note: The foundation is a supporter of NPR Ed.)

“Although neutral on its face,” the report concludes, “the admissions process as it is implemented is actually skewed dramatically against the poor.”