The Mismatch Myth and Other Affirmative Action Considerations

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Black Youth Navigating the Road to College

Abstract

While evidence shows that being admitted into a selective college increases the likelihood of degree completion, little is known about how attending a college that is not a perfect academic match shapes postsecondary achievement. Two theoretical frameworks on college matching rooted in affirmative action literature offer different conclusions. Using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Survey, I estimate the effect overmatch and undermatch have on degree completion rates for students at selective colleges. The findings suggest that overmatched students are far more likely to graduate than students with similar academic qualifications who enroll at their best academic match. For undermatched students, the results show that attending a college far below what skills would suggest is detrimental to degree completion.

Author

• Tameka Porter, University of Wisconsin - Madison