Executive Summary
- All public colleges and universities in Colorado use racial preferences in undergraduate admissions to increase black enrollment. There was no school at which the black median SAT score, ACT score, or GPA was higher than the white median in 1995. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, for example, the average white student scored 205 points higher on the SAT (out of a possible 1600), and 4 points higher on the ACT (out of a possible 36), and nearly half a point higher on grades (on a 4-point scale) than the average black student.
- Most of the public colleges and universities in Colorado use racial preferences to increase Hispanic enrollment. There were only a few schools at which white students did not have a higher median SAT score, ACT score, or GPA than Hispanic students in 1995. At the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, for example, the average white student scored 160 points higher on the SAT and 3 points higher on the ACT than the average Hispanic student.
- Asian Americans appear to receive very few or no preferences at all. At most schools, Asian students had a median SAT score, ACT score, or GPA close to that of white students in 1995.
- Schools using racial preferences routinely reject white and Asian students who have higher test scores and grades than black and Hispanic who are admitted. In 1995, about 50 percent of rejected white applicants had higher ACT scores than the black admittee median at five schools: Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State College, Mesa State College, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Colorado at Denver.
- The greatest preferences tend to be granted at Colorado’s most competitive schools, such as the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Less demanding schools tend to grant smaller ones.
- Colorado’s use of racial preferences depresses black graduation rates strongly and Hispanic graduation rates slightly, presumably because students admitted by preferences lack the academic preparation needed to succeed at the schools enrolling them. Six years after enrolling, less than one-third of all blacks and Hispanics earn their diplomas, as opposed to more than half of all Asians and whites.
- If Colorado schools were to begin admitting undergraduate students on a colorblind basis, black and Hispanic admissions would not drop sharply across the board. The Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado at Boulder probably would experience significant declines in black and Hispanic enrollment. Additionally, Colorado State University and the University of Colorado at Denver probably would see black enrollment fall off. The other eight schools in the system would not witness major changes.
- In a system of colorblind admissions, the average black college applicant in Colorado would have a sufficient SAT score, ACT score, or GPA to gain admission to all but the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Colorado at Denver. The average Hispanic could attend all but the Colorado School of Mines and Colorado State University. The average Asian American or white could attend all but the Colorado School of Mines.
This article is excerpted from a Center for Equal Opportunity study conducted by Dr. Robert Lernre and Dr. Althea K. Nagai. The full study can be accessed here.
