Income based diversity lags at some universities

Richard Perez Pena:

Opponents of race-based affirmative action in college admissions urge that colleges use a different tool to encourage diversity: giving a leg up to poor students. But many educators see real limits to how eager colleges are to enroll more poor students, no matter how qualified -- and the reason is money.

"It's expensive," said Donald E. Heller, dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University. "You have to go out and identify them, recruit them and get them to apply, and then it's really expensive once they enroll because they need more financial aid."

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon in a closely watched case over admissions at the University of Texas at Austin, and the court could outlaw any consideration of race.

Opponents of affirmative action welcome that prospect, arguing that race-conscious admissions favor minority applicants who are not disadvantaged, and people on both sides of the issue contend that colleges should do more to achieve socioeconomic diversity. Polls show that while most Americans oppose racial or ethnic preferences in college admissions, they also think colleges should give extra help to the poor.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 1, 2013 1:22 AM
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