Lost Opportunity, Social Reproduction, and Selective Postsecondary Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 78
  In Roundtable Session: Postsecondary Education: Social Stratification and Reproduction

Abstract

Despite the ostensible proposition of American higher education to allay inequality and advance life opportunities, enrollment disparities have endured for underrepresented students throughout postsecondary education in the United States. This inequality is even more pronounced when considering enrollment at selective colleges and universities. Utilizing data collected through the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2002, the present study identifies individual-level variables that significantly influence an academically-qualified, low-income student’s likelihood of application, acceptance, and enrollment at a highly selective postsecondary institution. By controlling for an individual’s scholarly merit and examining each stage of the college choice process, we highlight factors that might open pathways of opportunity for low-income students at highly selective colleges.

Authors

• Daniel Allen, University of Chicago

• Mark E. Engberg, Loyola University Chicago