Asian Americans, Admissions, and College Choice: An Empirical Test of Claims of Harm Used in Federal Investigations

• In Event: College Access for Asian and Asian Americans Across the Global Diaspora

Abstract

The Coalition of Asian American Associations, a small but vocal group, has argued against affirmative action practices. One of their more prominent claims is that Asian American applicants who are not accepted and do not attend their first-choice colleges face a multitude of negative consequences. This claim that has become the impetus for an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into the college admissions process at a number of universities. This study empirically tests those claims with particular attention to the differences in Asian American student outcomes, relative to their college admissions and choice decisions. Our findings indicate a limited, if any, statistical difference between Asian American groups that attend differing choice institutions.

Authors

• Mike Hoa Nguyen, University of Denver

• Connie Y. Chang, University of California - Los Angeles

• Victoria Kim, The University of Texas at Austin

• Rose Ann Eborda Gutierrez, University of California - Los Angeles

• Annie Le, Stanford University

• Denis Dumas, University of Denver

• Robert T. Teranishi, University of California - Los Angeles