Working Paper: NBER ID: w29964
Authors: Peter Arcidiacono; Josh Kinsler; Tyler Ransom
Abstract: Using detailed admissions data made public in the SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC cases, we examine how racial preferences for under-represented minorities (URMs) affect their admissions to Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill. At Harvard, the admit rates for typical African American applicants are on average over four times larger than if they had been treated as white. For typical Hispanic applicants the increase is 2.4 times. At UNC, preferences vary substantially by whether the applicant is in-state or out-of-state. For in-state applicants, racial preferences result in an over 70% increase in the African American admit rate. For out-of-state applicants, the increase is more than tenfold. Both universities provide larger racial preferences to URMs from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.
Keywords: racial preferences; college admissions; affirmative action; underrepresented minorities; socioeconomic background
JEL Codes: I23; I24; J15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Racial preferences (J15) | Admissions outcomes for African American applicants at Harvard (I24) |
| Racial preferences (J15) | Admissions outcomes for Hispanic applicants at Harvard (I24) |
| Racial preferences (J15) | Admissions outcomes for in-state African American applicants at UNC (I24) |
| Racial preferences (J15) | Admissions outcomes for out-of-state African American applicants at UNC (I24) |
| Removing racial preferences (J15) | Racial composition of admitted students at Harvard (J15) |
| Removing racial preferences (J15) | Racial composition of admitted students at out-of-state UNC (J15) |
| Racial preferences (J15) | Differences in preferences across applicant pools (J79) |
| Higher socioeconomic backgrounds (I24) | Larger racial preferences (J15) |