Projects

This study examined changes in admissions (application numbers, admit rates) and enrollment patterns among Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income students under test-optional policies adopted during the pandemic. The study also examined how features of test-optional policies (e.g., test-optional vs. test-free policies, test-optional for admissions only vs. test-optional for admissions and scholarship consideration) relate to enrollment outcomes. Overall, we hope to offer insight into how colleges can design more equitable admissions policies. For more, see our policy brief and op-ed.

We investigated how the admissions community is responding to test-optional and test-free admissions. Overall, we found positive perceptions of both types of policies. We surveyed admissions professionals on their perspectives (report) and interviewed admissions professionals and senior admissions leaders (report). We also analyzed participants' experiences working at test-free institutions (paper and brief).

Besides affecting standardized tests, inequality affects other parts of the application, like letters of recommendation and the documentation of extracurricular activities. We analyzed extracurricular activities (see paper, policy brief) and letters of recommendation (see paper, policy brief) in applications from the Common Application, the most exhaustive collection of college applications to ever exist in the U.S. context. 

The goal of this project is to generate new ideas for strengthening the capacity of the diverse postsecondary education ecosystem in Illinois to better serve the state’s populations. Toward this end, the CAF Co-Lab team, led by Dr. OiYan Poon, is a key partner to the office of the Illinois Deputy Governor for Education, working to design and coordinate a series of convenings between key postsecondary education and college access leaders in Illinois. Additionally, the CAF Co-Lab has generated a series of research memos for these state leaders and produced rapid research to inform the advancement of equity in higher education.

Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will conduct a student-level quantitative study to explore how test score submission relates to a wide range of academic outcomes. We will also conduct a qualitative study to continue to track policies, practices, and attitudes on college and university campuses about test-optional admissions.