National Association of College Admission Counseling Changes Likely to Further Unlevel Playing Field
Oct 14, 2019
Sparked by a Department of Justice ruling to increase competition for new and current undergraduates, the National Association of College Admission Counseling this Fall voted to amend its policies to line up with the DOJ’s ruling. As a practical matter, this means that colleges will be able to aggressively compete for students through Early Decision admission programs with financial incentives and other desirable incentives such as prime on-campus housing.
It also means that colleges may be able to “poach” students after the May 1 Decision Day. Schools that find themselves struggling to fill their class quota after May 1 may appeal to students who were admitted but chose to attend a different school. This may lead to colleges requiring more expensive deposits in order to gain stronger commitment from students and families and assurances that students won’t renege on their commitment to matriculate. Experts are predicting that Colleges are likely to increase deposit amounts in order to ensure retention of their Early Decision applicants. Many fear that this will drive away low-income students.
It is well-documented that Early Decision programs have been demonstrated to be unfair to low-income and minority applicants as they require committing to a school before receiving a financial aid award letter. Students and families are unable to compare financial aid offers, and without comparisons, schools are less incentivized to agree to financial aid appeals.
College Admission Offices will now be able to sweeten the pot to attract Early Decision students thus causing a deeper inequity for lower-income and minority students.
The following links provide more insight and details about the ruling and its consequences.
https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/09/30/nacac-agrees-change-its-code-ethics
