As the Supreme Court revisits the future of affirmative action with Schuette
v. the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, recent data from
Kaplan Test Prep shows that among admissions officers, those at law
schools and medical schools are the most concerned about the potential
negative impact of a ban on race-conscious admissions policies, while
the gatekeepers at colleges and business schools are much less concerned
as a whole.
Sixty-one percent of law school admissions officers surveyed said they
believe a ban on affirmative action would hurt efforts to foster racial
diversity among their student populations, while at medical schools, a
slight majority (52%) expressed similar concern. In contrast, only 33%
of colleges, 34% of business schools, and 40% of graduate schools said
they believe a ban on race-conscious admissions policies would
negatively impact racial diversity at their schools.
Among the other findings from Kaplan Test Prep’s 2013 admissions
officers survey series:
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Schools Overwhelmingly Consider Racial Diversity Important: Of
the colleges surveyed, 96% say that it is important for their school’s
administration to have a racially diverse student body. A strong
majority of medical schools surveyed (83%) also consider racial
diversity in their student population important; law schools were
unanimous (100%), business and grad schools nearly so (99% and 98%,
respectively). A lesser majority of students agree: in a Kaplan survey
of nearly 700 college applicants in June, 60% said it’s “very
important” or “somewhat important” for the college they attend to have
a racially diverse student body.
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Affirmative Action Policies Most Prevalent Among Med Schools; Least
So Among B-Schools: 16% of business schools, 21% of colleges, 37%
of graduate schools, 45% of law schools and 57% of medical schools
surveyed reported having race-conscious affirmative action policies
currently in place. Ten percent of colleges preferred not to say.
(Eight states currently ban the use of race-conscious affirmative
action: AZ, CA, FL, NE, NH, OK, TX, WA.)
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Most Believe Policies Have Been Effective: Among the schools
with affirmative action policies, a strong majority feel these have
been effective in fostering racial diversity in their schools (89% of
colleges, 96% of law schools, 85% of medical schools, 78% of business
schools and 96% of graduate schools).
The findings are notable as the Supreme Court returns to session with a
high-profile affirmative action case on the docket: Schuette v. the
Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, which stems from a 2006
statewide referendum in Michigan, in which voters approved a ban on race
as a factor in decision-making in public education, employment and
contracting. A coalition of interest groups and individuals has argued
that the ban violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment, and the Sixth Circuit Court agreed, overturning the ban in
2011. Bill Schuette, Michigan’s current state attorney general, has
brought the case to the Supreme Court.
“Our data shows that medical and law schools rely the most on
affirmative action policies to foster racially diverse student
populations, and are the most concerned about the potential negative
impact of a ban on race-conscious policies,” said Seppy Basili, vice
president at Kaplan Test Prep. “But it’s safe to say that most schools
value racial diversity, and if affirmative action is eliminated, it’s
likely that they’ll seek to achieve a diverse population other ways,
including finding other proxies for race to bring diversity to campus
and seeking partnerships to improve the pipeline of academically
talented, underrepresented students.”
To speak with a Kaplan Test Prep expert about the survey results, please
contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.
*Admissions officers from 381 of the nation’s top national, regional
and liberal arts colleges and universities, as determined by U.S. News &
World Report, were polled by telephone between July and August 2013.
**Admissions officers from 121 of the nation’s 203 American Bar
Association-approved law schools were polled by telephone between July
and September 2013.
**Admissions officers from 79 medical schools across the country (71
accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges and eight
accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic
Medicine) were polled by telephone between July and September 2013.
+Admissions officers from 146 business schools
around the country were polled by telephone between July and September
2013.
++Admissions officers from 93 top graduate schools, as
determined by U.S. News & World Report, were polled by telephone between
July and September 2013.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com)
is a premier provider of educational and career services for
individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the
world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of
online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital
products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests,
including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate
school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys,
physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and
graduate admissions consulting services.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post
Company (NYSE:WPO)
Copyright Business Wire 2013